{"id":11065,"date":"2026-01-10T10:06:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T10:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11065"},"modified":"2026-01-10T10:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T10:06:41","slug":"down-arrow-button-icon-55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11065","title":{"rendered":"Down Arrow Button Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Elon Musk\u2019s xAI has restricted its AI chatbot Grok\u2019s image generation capabilities to paying subscribers only, following widespread condemnation over its use to create non-consensual sexualized images of real women and children.<\/p>\n

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\u201cImage generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers,\u201d Grok announced via X on Friday. The restriction means the vast majority of users can no longer access the feature. Paying, verified subscribers with credit card details on file can still do so, but theoretically they can be identified more easily if the function is misused.<\/p>\n

However, experts, regulators, and victims say that the new restrictions aren\u2019t a solution to the now widespread problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe argument that providing user details and payment methods will help identify perpetrators also isn\u2019t convincing, given how easy it is to provide false info and use temporary payment methods,\u201d Henry Ajder, a UK-based deepfakes expert, told Fortune.<\/em> \u201cThe logic here is also reactive: it is supposed to help identify offenders after content has been generated, but it doesn\u2019t represent any alignment or meaningful limitations to the model itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UK government has called the move \u201cinsulting\u201d to victims, in remarks reported by the BBC. The UK\u2019s prime minister\u2019s spokesperson told reporters on Friday that the change \u201csimply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time for X to grip this issue; if another media company had billboards in town centers showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

A representative for X said they were \u201clooking into\u201d the new restrictions. xAI responded with the automated message: \u201cLegacy Media Lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past week real women have been targeted at scale with users manipulating photos to remove clothing, place subjects in bikinis, or position them in sexually explicit scenarios without their consent. Some victims reported feeling violated and disturbed by the trend, with many saying their reports to X went unanswered and images remained live on the platform.<\/p>\n

Researchers said the scale at which Grok was producing and sharing images was unprecedented as, unlike other AI bots, Grok essentially has a built-in distribution system in the X platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One researcher, whose analysis was published by Bloomberg<\/em>, estimated that X has become the most prolific site for deepfakes over the last week. Genevieve Oh, a social media and deepfake researcher who conducted a 24-hour analysis of images the @Grok account posted to X, found that the chatbot was producing roughly 6,700 sexually suggestive or nudifying images per hour. By comparison, the five other leading websites for sexualized deepfakes averaged 79 new AI undressing images hourly during the same period. Oh\u2019s research also found that sexualized content dominated Grok\u2019s output, accounting for 85% of all images the chatbot generated.<\/p>\n

Ashley St. Clair, a conservative commentator and mother of one of Musk\u2019s children, was among those affected by the images. St. Clair told Fortune<\/em> that users were turning images on her X profile into explicit AI-generated photos of her, including some she said depicted her as a minor.\u00a0After speaking out against the images and raising concerns about deepfakes on minors, St Clair also said X took away her verified, paying subscribers status without notifying her or refunding her for the $8 per month fee. <\/p>\n

\u201cRestricting it to the paid-only user shows that they\u2019re going to double down on this, placing an undue burden on the victims to report to law enforcement and law enforcement to use their resources to track these people down,\u201d Ashley St Clair said of the recent restrictions. \u201cIt\u2019s also a money grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

St Clair told Fortune<\/em> that many of the accounts targeting her were already verified users: \u201cIt\u2019s not effective at all,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is just in anticipation of more law enforcement inquiries regarding Grok image generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regulatory pressure<\/h2>\n

The move to limit Grok\u2019s capabilities comes amid mounting pressure from regulators worldwide. In the U.K., Prime Minister Keir Starmer has indicated he is open to banning the platform entirely, describing the content as \u201cdisgraceful\u201d and \u201cdisgusting.\u201d Regulators in India, Malaysia, and France have also launched investigations or probes.<\/p>\n

The European Commission on Thursday ordered X to preserve all internal documents and data related to Grok, stepping up its investigation into the platform\u2019s content moderation practices after describing the spread of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes as \u201cillegal,\u201d \u201cappalling,\u201d and \u201cdisgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts say the new restrictions may not satisfy regulators\u2019 concerns: \u201cThis approach is a blunt instrument that doesn\u2019t address the root of the problem with Grok\u2019s alignment and likely won\u2019t cut it with regulators,\u201d Ajder said.\u00a0\u201cLimiting functionality to paying users will not stop the generation of this content; a month\u2019s subscription is not a robust solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the U.S., the situation is also likely to test existing laws, like Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online providers from liability for content created by users. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Edward J. Markey, and Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n have issued a statement urging Apple and Google to \u201cimmediately remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores\u201d following Grok\u2019s alleged use for generating \u201cnonconsensual sexualized images of women and children at scale.\u201d The lawmakers called the images \u201cdisturbing and likely illegal,\u201d and said the apps should remain unavailable until Musk addresses the concerns.<\/p>\n

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has also called for Grok to be blocked from generating \u201csexually explicit images of children and women, including prominent Muslim women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riana Pfefferkorn of Stanford\u2019s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence previously told Fortune<\/em> that liability surrounding AI-generated images is murky. \u201cWe have this situation where for the first time, it is the platform itself that is at scale generating non-consensual pornography of adults and minors alike,\u201d she said. \u201cFrom a liability perspective as well as a PR perspective, the CSAM laws pose the biggest potential liability risk here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musk has previously stated that \u201canyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.\u201d However, it remains unclear how accounts will be held accountable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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