"Clear Sexual Crime Against Children and Women": Global Authorities Take Strong Action Against Grok's Non-Consensual Sexual Image Generation

Concerns Over AI Deepfake Abuse Become Reality
Investigations Launched in the UK, France, India, and More
Musk Warns: "Illegal Use Will Be Held Accountable"

Chatbot Grok, developed by the artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI led by Elon Musk, has come under intense criticism and investigation from regulatory authorities worldwide over allegations of generating sexual images targeting women and children. On January 7, Yonhap News, citing Reuters and the BBC, reported that the UK government has urgently demanded a solution to the issue of Grok creating and distributing private sexual images without the consent of those depicted.

Chatbot Grok from xAI, an artificial intelligence company led by Elon Musk, has been embroiled in controversy over generating sexual images targeting women and children. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Michelle Donelan, the UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, emphasized, "This is not a matter of freedom of expression but a clear issue of legal compliance," stressing that AI-generated images also constitute illegal distribution of private images. She added, "Under the Online Safety Act, we treat the misuse or distribution of private images as a top-priority criminal offense, and this includes images generated by AI. Each platform must prevent such content from appearing online and must promptly remove it if it does appear."

Ofcom, the UK's media and communications regulator, announced on January 5 that it is investigating concerns that Grok is generating images depicting people undressed. Ofcom has urgently contacted X and xAI to determine whether they are fulfilling their legal obligations to protect UK users. Secretary Donelan stated, "It is absolutely right that Ofcom is urgently investigating this issue," and expressed full support for any legal action Ofcom deems necessary.

"Not Freedom of Expression, but a Crime" - Regulators Worldwide Target Grok

Grok has not blocked the creation of sexual content, citing freedom of expression, but controversy has grown recently as AI-generated images depicting children in sexualized ways have circulated. The ease with which users can upload and alter photos has led to repeated accusations of misuse, including bikini composites and deepfake sexual images. Some users have even sexually altered and distributed images of minors. Influencer Ashley St Clair, who gave birth to Musk's thirteenth child, also claimed to be a victim. She stated that a childhood photo of herself was edited by Grok to show her in a bikini and posted on X, criticizing, "Non-consensual image manipulation is a sex crime."

As controversy surrounding Grok arose, Musk warned, "Using Grok to create illegal content will bear the same responsibility as posting illegal content." Photo by AP Yonhap News

The European Union (EU) is also taking the matter seriously. The European Commission expressed strong regret, stating that Grok's generation of explicit sexual content using images of children is illegal. France has already expanded its prosecutorial investigation into X to include allegations of generating and distributing child sexual exploitation material. In Asia, responses are also underway. Indian regulators have ordered X to remove sexual content and crack down on users, while Malaysia has launched an investigation into the generation of obscene content.

As controversy and regulatory actions intensify globally, xAI stated that it has identified a loophole in its safety mechanisms and is urgently working to fix it. Musk warned, "Using Grok to create illegal content will bear the same responsibility as posting illegal content." However, some foreign media outlets have reported that problematic cases continue to surface even after the controversy. Experts predict that this incident will further intensify debates over balancing freedom of expression and user protection in AI chatbots, as well as the scope of platform responsibility.