Key takeaways Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot is facing global investigations after generating sexualized images of women and children without consent. Regulators, including the UK’s Ofcom, the European C...
Britain's communications regulator Ofcom, the European Commission, and government authorities in France, India, Malaysia, and Brazil have all launched inquiries or issued warnings to X and its parent company XAI following a surge in complaints about the AI tool's ability to digitally manipulate photos.
Ofcom announced Monday it had made urgent contact with X and xAI after receiving reports about the tool's capabilities.
"We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children," an Ofcom spokesperson said in a statement.
The watchdog demanded X explain how Grok was able to produce such images and whether the platform was failing in its legal duty to protect users under the UK's Online Safety Act, which requires social media platforms to prevent and remove child sexual abuse material.
The European Commission confirmed it is investigating the matter, with EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier telling Rolling Stone: "Child sexual abuse material is illegal. This is appalling. This is how we see it, and it has no place in Europe. We can confirm that we are very seriously looking into these issues."
UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall called for immediate enforcement action, stating: "We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls."
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology took swift action, issuing a formal notice to X on January 2, demanding the platform submit an action-taken report within 72 hours.
The deadline was later extended to January 7 after X requested additional time.
The Indian ministry accused Grok of enabling the generation and sharing of obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner.
Officials warned that non-compliance could result in X losing its safe harbor protections under Section 79 of India's Information Technology Act, which would expose the platform to liability for user-generated content.
The action came after Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi raised concerns about X users prompting the AI tool to digitally undress women in photos.
In a post on X, Chaturvedi thanked the IT Minister for promptly addressing her letter and issuing a notice to the platform.
According to content analysis firm Copyleaks, Grok has been generating roughly one nonconsensual sexualized image per minute, with each image posted directly to X, where it can potentially go viral.
The controversy centers on Grok's image generation feature, which allows users to modify any photo on X by typing text prompts.
Users discovered they could request the AI to alter people's clothing in photos, with common prompts including requests to place women in bikinis or sexually suggestive poses.
The Internet Watch Foundation, a UK-based nonprofit that monitors child sexual abuse material online, reported a 400% increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
The organization confirmed 210 webpages containing such material in the first half of 2025, up from 42 in 2024.
Kerry Smith, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation, emphasized the urgency of the situation in a statement Friday: "AI products must be tested rigorously before they go to market to ensure they do not have the capability to generate this material."
Grok's official account on X acknowledged the failures, posting on January 1: "There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing.
" The chatbot stated it had identified "lapses in safeguards" that were being "urgently" fixed, calling child sexual abuse material "illegal and prohibited."
Musk himself posted that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such content directly.
X's Safety account issued a similar warning, stating the platform would remove illegal content, permanently suspend accounts, and work with law enforcement.
Polish lawmaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty used the controversy to advocate for national digital safety legislation.
In an online video, the speaker of Poland's parliament said, "Grok lately is stripping people," and called for stronger protections for minors.
Brazilian lawmaker Erika Hilton reported both Grok and X to the country's federal public prosecutor's office and data protection watchdog, calling for X's AI functions to be disabled until an investigation is completed.
Despite the mounting criticism, xAI recently secured $20 billion in funding, and the U.S. Department of Defense added Grok to its AI agents platform in December 2025.
The Trump administration also signed an 18-month contract authorizing the chatbot for official government business, though the decision faced opposition from over 30 consumer advocacy groups who raised concerns about safety testing and ideological bias.
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