Thomas Unise
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has limited Grok’s AI image generation capabilities to paid subscribers following widespread criticism over the creation of sexually explicit images, including “undressing” women and alleged sexualized imagery of minors.
Key Developments
On Friday, Grok began responding to image requests from non-paying users with a message stating that image generation and editing features are “currently limited to paying subscribers,” directing them toward X’s $395 annual subscription tier. This change comes amid mounting pressure and investigations from global regulators concerning nonconsensual explicit imagery created through the platform.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described these actions as “unlawful” and hasn’t ruled out banning X in the UK. Despite the new restrictions, verified users with paid accounts can still generate problematic content, with researchers confirming that the same types of sexualized images remain possible, just in smaller numbers.
Ongoing Issues
A WIRED investigation revealed that users could still prompt Grok to create images with sexually suggestive content such as “latex lingerie” and “plastic bikini,” though these appear behind content warning boxes. Additionally, Grok’s standalone website and app reportedly continue to allow the creation of explicit sexual videos featuring celebrities and real people.
While free X accounts can no longer generate images through Grok on the platform, WIRED found that free accounts on Grok’s separate app and website still retain image generation capabilities.
Criticism of X’s Approach
Critics have condemned X’s decision as inadequate and exploitative. Emma Pickering from UK domestic abuse charity Refuge stated that the restriction “represents the monetization of abuse” by simply placing harmful capabilities behind a paywall rather than addressing the fundamental problem.
The British government reportedly called the change “insulting” to victims, describing it as turning “an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.”
Experts point out that determined users could likely circumvent these restrictions using disposable payment methods and fake names, while AI Forensics researcher Paul Bouchaud noted that X could have taken more decisive action by removing abusive material or disabling image generation entirely.
Conclusion
X’s decision to restrict Grok’s image generation to paid subscribers appears to be a limited response to serious concerns about AI-generated explicit content. While this may reduce the volume of problematic images, critics argue it fails to address the underlying issues and ethical concerns regarding consent and the potential for abuse.
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