Elon Musk's AI 'Grok' Restricts Image Generation to Paid Subscribers Amid Sexually Explicit Deepfake Controversy

Image Generation on X Restricted to Paid Users
U.S. Senators Call for Removal from App Stores

xAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) startup founded by Elon Musk, has restricted some image generation features of its chatbot "Grok" to paid subscribers only, in response to controversy over the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images.

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According to U.S. media reports on January 9 (local time), Grok now displays a message stating "a paid subscription is required" to users requesting image generation or editing on X (formerly Twitter). Previously, the feature was available for free with only a daily usage limit. Currently, only premium subscribers who pay $8 per month can access this functionality.

U.S. media outlets reported that, following this measure, the number of sexually explicit deepfake images generated by Grok has noticeably decreased. However, image generation is still possible without a subscription within the Grok app itself, so the controversy has not been fully resolved.

Recently, Grok sparked controversy by mass-generating deepfake images on X that sexually objectified women and children. Most of these images were created without the consent of those depicted, prompting major European countries, Malaysia, and India to begin cracking down on related content.

The European Union (EU) criticized the subscription restriction, saying it cannot be a fundamental solution. A spokesperson for the European Commission stated, "Whether free or paid, this does not prevent problematic images," and pointed out that "fundamental improvements are needed." A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister's Office also said, "This restriction is ineffective" and called it "insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence."

Three U.S. senators sent a letter to the CEOs of Apple and Google, demanding that the xAI Grok app and X app be removed from their app stores. The senators warned, "These apps must be immediately removed from app stores until Musk addresses potentially illegal activities."

Grok originally had safeguards in place to restrict the creation of child sexual exploitation content, but some users were found to have bypassed these protections by manipulating their requests. After the issue was raised, xAI deleted the controversial images and began emergency fixes.

Additionally, the "Spicy Mode" feature introduced by xAI in August last year allows the creation of adult content and includes an automatic blur function if the exposure level is excessive. However, it was already controversial upon release due to concerns that it could be used to generate synthetic content featuring public figures.