Musk’s Grok Limits Sexual Image Generation after Deepfakes Uproar

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is preventing non-paying users from generating or editing images after a global backlash erupted over sexualized deepfakes of people, but the change has not satisfied authorities in Europe, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

While subscriber numbers for Grok are not publicly available, there was a noticeable decline in the number of explicit deepfakes being generated compared with just days earlier. (Screenshot: Grok AI)

The chatbot, which is accessed through Musk’s social media platform X, has in recent weeks been granting what researchers describe as a wave of malicious user requests to modify images, including placing women in bikinis or in sexually explicit positions.

Researchers have warned that in a few cases, some images appeared to depict children.

Governments around the world have condemned the platform and opened investigations.

Subsequently, Grok responded to image-altering requests with the message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”

While subscriber numbers for Grok are not publicly available, there was a noticeable decline on Friday in the number of explicit deepfakes being generated compared with just days earlier, Lisa Dwyer also reported for AP.