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Glossary |
From 2025 onwards,X's integratedchatbot,Grok, has allowed users to nonconsensually alter images of individuals, includingminors, to show them in bikinis or transparent clothing, or in sexually suggestive contexts. The majority of these prompts were targeted at women and girls. Users were able to generate such images by responding to a photo with a request to Grok such as "put her in a bikini", to which the chatbot would publicly reply with a generated image.
The scandal drew significant criticism from lawmakers across the world, and there were calls for bans on X, as well as legal crackdowns on X andxAI for, amongst other reasons, the facilitation ofsexual abuse,revenge porn, andchild pornography.
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Deepfake pornography emerged in the late 2010s with the advent ofmachine learning. Originally, it was created on a small individual scale using a combination ofmachine learning algorithms, computer vision techniques, andAI software. However, the production process has significantly evolved since 2018, with the advent of several public apps that have largely automated the process.[1] Since 2023, several AI apps available onGoogle Play and theApple App Store are capable of "nudify-ing" user provided photos to generate non-consensual deepfake pornography.[2][3]
Grok would first be proposed byElon Musk in 2023, when he expressed an intention to create his own AI chatbot to "combat bias".[4] Grok version 2.0, released on August 14, 2024, would introduceimage generation capabilities, ones which would be improved over successive updates.[5]
Cases of Grok being used to remove the clothes on women in pictures began to surface in May 2025.[6] By late December 2025, a trend of X users undressing women without permission had taken root, and this received significant media attention in the first few days of January 2026.[7][8]
Grok's X account was restricted on January 9 from posting image generation responses to users who are not paid subscribers, providing a link to "subscribe to unlock these features". All users were still able to generate Grok-altered images using X's "Edit image" feature, and the standalone Grok website and app.[9]
An analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026 showed 2% were of people in bikinis or transparent clothes and appeared to be 18 or younger, including 30 of "young or very young" women or girls.[10] AReuters review of Grok requests over 10 minutes on January 2nd found 102 attempts to put women in bikinis.[11] A separate analysis conducted over 24 hours from January 5 to 6 calculated that users had Grok create 6,700 sexually suggestive or nudified images per hour — 84 times more so than the top 5 deepfake websites combined.[12][13]
Wired reported that far more graphic sexual imagery was being created by Grok on its website and app, which are separate to X.[14]
AI-generated deepfakes have been described assexual assault, and as a means to push women out of the public sphere.[15]
AI-generated sexually explicit or exploitative image claims are now being treated more like product safety or personal injury harms, not just privacy violations.[16] Because harm may occur the moment an image is generated, some plaintiffs argue liability should focus on the system’s design and safety safeguards.[17]
On January 15, the Get Grok Gone campaign delivered letters to Apple and Google, demanding the removal of the app fromApple Store andGoogle Play Store respectively.[18][19] The campaign accused both companies of profiting from nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse imagery, which were also banned by the companies own policies.[18] The Get Grok Gone campaign argues that the restrictions placed on Grok by xAI are not enough and that Apple and Google are enabling the distribution of harmful material by hosting the apps.[18]
xAI responded to requests for comment from media organizations with the automated reply, "Legacy Media Lies."[20][21][22]
On January 2, Elon Musk reacted "Not sure why, but I couldn’t stop laughing about this one 🤣🤣" to an image of atoaster dressed in a bikini by Grok.[23][24] Later, on January 14, Elon Musk said that he was "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero." Later that same day, xAI announced that X users will no longer be able to use Grok to alter images of real people to portray them in revealing clothing.[25][26] However, verified X users, as well as users of the standalone Grok app and website, were still able to generate such images.[27]
Ashley St. Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk's children, reported that Grok users were creating fake sexualized images from her photos, including a photo of her as a child. She considers the photos to be a form ofrevenge porn, and considered suing under theTake It Down Act.[28] A spokesperson for X stated, "We take action against illegal content on X, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."[28] However, Grok continued to post non-consensual sexual images. On January 15, St. Clair filed a lawsuit against xAI in theNew York Supreme Court.[29]
In response to the Grok deepfake scandal, individuals have asked that thegovernment of Canada boycott X. On January 10, 2026, Canadian MP and Minister of AIEvan Solomon declared that Canada "is not considering a ban on X".[30]
On January 2, 2026, French ministers reported the AI tool to prosecutors, calling the content "manifestly illegal", and also asked regulators to check compliance with theDigital Services Act.[31][32]
On February 3, Paris prosecutors office, a cybercrime team employed by them andEuropol searched the Paris offices ofX.[33] The investigation started as one into allegations of abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction, but has expanded into spreadingHolocaust denial and sexual deepfakes.[33] Elon Musk and former CEOLinda Yaccarino have been summoned to a hearing on April 20, with other X staff as witnesses.[33][34][35]
Indian Member of ParliamentPriyanka Chaturvedi filed a complaint to India's IT ministry, demanding a review of Grok's safety mechanisms.[36]
On January 10,Indonesia announced that Grok will be temporarily blocked, becoming the first country to do so.Meutya Hafid, theMinister of Communication and Digital Affairs, stated that "thegovernment views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space."[37][38] The next day, theMalaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced thatMalaysia has suspended access to Grok.[38][39]
On January 6,Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish media commission, said they were consulting with theEuropean Commission about concerns that Grok was generating sexualized images of women and children.[40] The same day,Ofcom of theUnited Kingdom contacted X concerning complaints about these images.[40]
On January 13,Micheál Martin,Taoiseach of Ireland, announced he would talk withRossa Fanning,the country's Attorney General, about the Grok chatbot being used to produce sexually explicit images of women and minors.[41]
On January 14, theGarda Síochána announced there are 200 investigations into child sex abuse images generated by Grok.[42] TheGarda National Cyber Crime Bureau has also confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into Grok.[42] Prosecutions could happen under theHarassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, theNon-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 and the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.[42]
On February 3,Labour PartyTDAlan Kelly described as "disgraceful" the refusal of X to attend a media committee on the regulation of online platforms, despite the committee writing to them.[33] He also described the controversy about Grok as "shameful" and "shocking".[33] Regarding the committee meeting, scheduled for February 4, Kelly said "Meta have agreed to come in. Google have agreed to come in. TikTok have agreed to come in.".[33]
On January 16, Japan'sMinister of State for Artificial Intelligence Strategy,Kimi Onoda revealed that the Cabinet Office had summoned representatives from the Japanese subsidiary of X Corp. on January 9 to formally request improvements regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual imagery. During that meeting, the government handed over a written inquiry and suggested that it might issue "administrative guidance" (non-binding advice) under theAI Promotion Act if no improvements were observed.[43] However, the Japanese AI Promotion Act contains no explicit penalties for non-compliance or the misuse of AI, focusing instead on voluntary cooperation.[44] The Minister disclosed these details while noting that X Corp. had not yet provided any response for over a week following the initial request.[43]
On January 15, the Philippines plans to block access due to the sexually explicit deepfake content,[45] followed by the next day, it blocked access due to the child pornography violation under the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 and theCybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.[46][47] On January 21, the Philippines announced that it will unblock access following the child pornography violation on sexually explicit deepfake content,[48] followed by the next day, it unblocked the access.[49]
On January 9, 2026, British prime ministerKeir Starmer has mentioned the possibly of banning Twitter in the United Kingdom. "This is disgraceful, it's disgusting and it's not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this, It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table."[50]Ofcom sent a request to X on January 5 and received a response.[51] In response to Starmer's remarksU.S. representativeAnna Paulina Luna called for sanctions against theUnited Kingdom if it went through with a ban.[52] X owner Elon Musk responded on January 10 that theStarmer's government "want any excuse for censorship" and described it as "fascist."[52]
On January 12, Ofcom announced that they would open an investigation into complaints about sexualized images generated by Grok.[53] The same day, the UK announced it would enable that week the lawcriminalizing using AI to generate non-consensual intimate images and plans to ban nudify apps.[54]
On January 9, 2026, Democratic senatorsRon Wyden,Ray Lujan, andEd Markey wrote to the CEOs of Google and Apple to remove the Grok and X apps from their respective stores for violating the terms of service regarding illegal content and sexual exploitation of children.[55] On January 23 35 U.S. state attorneys general have called on xAI to cease allowing sexual deepfakes to be generated.[56]
On January 14, 2026, California attorney generalRob Bonta announced an investigation into whether xAI has violated state law with Grok, stating "The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking".[57]
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