Grok blocks X users from creating images of real people in ‘revealing clothing’
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has announced a change in policy that purports to offer more protections against sexualized deepfakes, at least on X. The new policy comes as California launches an investigation into the issue, while the UK government is threatening a ban.
"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” read a statement published on the X Safety account just before 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday. "This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”
The X Safety update also stated that it takes Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual nudity seriously before reiterating another recent change: Image creation and editing via the Grok account on X is now limited to subscribers.
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The X Safety account also announced that it now has the ability to geoblock "all users to [sic] generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X in those jurisdictions where it’s illegal.”
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Grok and X have faced a wave of scrutiny in the new year as sexualized, non-consensual images of celebrities and children, prompted by users and created by its AI, have proliferated on X. California attorney general Rob Bonta has demanded Grok and its developer xAI take steps to remove and prevent such images, threatening to use "all tools at our disposal" to keep its residents safe.
"This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet,” Bonta said in a statement on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, xAI/X/Grok boss Elon Musk appeared to dare users to "break Grok image moderation" on the same day that X Safety announced its new safety updates:
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Last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the AI tool's generation of sexualised imagery of women and children, calling it "disgraceful" and "disgusting." He said Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator had the government's full support to take action against X and xAI. On Monday, Starmer threatened to take action against Musk, saying "if X cannot control Grok, we will," according to a BBC report. Indonesia and Malaysia already blocked Grok access this weekend.
U.S. politicians have also targeted Grok and X, with three Democratic senators calling on Apple to remove the services from its app store. The apps are still available in Apple's app store as of Wednesday evening.
X's recent changes to its policy may reflect an acknowledgment by company leaders that it is not protected by Section 230 of the U.S.'s 30-year-old Communications Decency Act, according to the BBC. Section 230 shields tech companies from lawsuits related to user-generated content, but images and other content created by an app's own technology may be less impervious to such legal immunity.
Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
