“I am not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero,” Musk said in a post on X, as lawmakers, advocacy groups and regulators across multiple countries increase scrutiny of the chatbot’s image-generation capabilities.
The comments come amid growing calls for Apple and Alphabet’s Google to remove X — and its built-in AI chatbot — from their app stores. U.S. lawmakers and advocacy organizations have raised concerns that Grok has been used to generate nonconsensual sexual images, including of women and minors, despite safeguards meant to prevent such misuse.
Musk reiterated that Grok is designed to reject illegal requests and must comply with local laws wherever it operates. He also said the system does not generate images independently. “Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images, it does so only according to user requests,” Musk wrote, adding that users who attempt to create illegal content would face the same consequences as those who upload such material directly.
Last week, three Democratic U.S. senators formally urged Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores, citing the spread of nonconsensual sexual imagery on the platform. A coalition of women’s rights groups, technology watchdogs and progressive advocacy organizations has echoed those demands, arguing that existing safeguards are insufficient.
In response to criticism, X last week limited Grok’s ability to generate or edit images publicly for many users. However, industry experts and digital safety groups have said the chatbot may still be capable of producing sexually explicit images, warning that measures such as restricting features behind paywalls may not fully prevent access to more powerful image-generation tools.
Regulatory pressure is also building outside the United States. In the United Kingdom, new legislation set to take effect this week will criminalize the creation of nonconsensual sexual images, including AI-generated content. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that X is working to comply with the forthcoming rules.
Several countries in Southeast Asia have taken a harder line. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Grok and are pursuing legal action against X and Musk’s AI company xAI, alleging failures to adequately prevent harmful content and protect users.
As governments worldwide grapple with how to regulate generative AI, the controversy surrounding Grok highlights the growing tension between rapid deployment of AI tools and efforts to curb their misuse, particularly in cases involving sexual exploitation and the safety of minors.