PALO ALTO, CA: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has sparked global controversy after it was used to generate non-consensual and sexualized images of real people, including minors, prompting regulatory scrutiny and outrage from rights groups.
Researchers and watchdogs say users of Grok, the artificial intelligence tool built into Musk’s social platform X, have been exploiting its image-generation capabilities to digitally undress or sexualize women and children without their consent. A Trinity College Dublin study found that nearly three-quarters of sampled posts prompting Grok involved requests to alter real photos of women and minors in sexually explicit ways.
In early January, Grok acknowledged that “lapses in safeguards” had led to the creation of “images depicting minors in minimal clothing” and said improvements were underway to block harmful requests.
The controversy has drawn swift reaction from regulators. The European Commission ordered X to preserve all internal documents related to Grok until the end of 2026 amid concerns over illegal and harmful content, while UK media regulator Ofcom said it is seeking answers on whether Grok’s outputs could contravene the country’s Online Safety Act.
“This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said of the non-consensual images, adding that such content “has no place in Europe.”
In the UK, the Internet Watch Foundation reported that analysts have identified AI-generated sexual imagery of girls aged 11-13 that appears to have been created using Grok, which would qualify as child sexual abuse material under British law.
Critics say the episode highlights deep weaknesses in AI safety and content moderation. Rights advocates and government officials in multiple countries are now calling for stronger regulation to prevent further abuse as generative AI tools become more accessible and powerful.