Tech Desk 
Jan 09, 2026
Elon Musk-owned startup xAI on Friday restricted the image generation function on its Grok chatbot on X (formerly Twitter) to paid users, after the tool's use of AI to create sexualised images sparked a backlash.
xAI had allowed users on X to edit or create sexualised images, which later was used to generate pictures of women and children in minimal clothing, often without the consent of the individual depicted.
A bunch of semi-nude images on X led to European lawmakers urging legal action, with German media minister Wolfram Weimer describing them as the "industrialisation of sexual harassment" and the European Commission calling them illegal.
In response, Grok said: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features." The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from X, still allows users to generate images without a subscription.
The European Commission said that such semi-nude images circulating on X are unlawful and appalling, while Britain's data regulator said it had asked the platform to explain how it was complying with data protection laws following concerns that Grok was generating sexually abusive images of women.
Last week, Musk said anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading such material directly.
