Elon Musk's Grok image modification chaos! Coser and underage women stripped by AI, multiple countries launch investigations

Elon Musk’s X platform has recently integrated Grok AI photo editing features, leading to multiple incidents of non-consensual generated sexual exploitation and explicit images of minors. Several governments have intervened to investigate and require the platform to implement safety measures.

X Launches Grok AI Image Editing, Coser Suffer Sexual Exploitation

As generative AI tools become increasingly popular, editing images with a single click has become easier. Recently, Elon Musk’s social platform X integrated Grok chatbot’s image generation function into X’s posting feature. Users can simply click “Edit Image” at the bottom right of any post’s image to invoke Grok to modify the image and then upload it as a comment or new post.

This feature sparked significant backlash upon release, including the ability to call Grok for photo editing in comments. Many netizens expressed concerns that it could be misused for sexual exploitation or child pornography, and unfortunately, these concerns proved to be well-founded.

On January 2, Austrian cosplayer (Coser) Keekihime revealed that a user called Grok to edit a photo of her portraying a character from the mobile game “Arknights,” with prompts including “change into underwear” and “transparent clothing.” Since Grok’s edits are directly displayed in the original comment, Keekihime was very upset and criticized:

“Grok seems to have turned into some kind of lecherous, disgusting man’s porn generator, and X is actually encouraging this trend. This is basically an invasion of girls’ bodies. To hell with X and AI!”

Image source: X

Grok Misused to Generate Bikinis, Even Minors Victimized

Although Elon Musk himself is not opposed to his photos being mocked up as bikinis, and even responded with a bewildered emoji when someone joked about X becoming a place where bikini-clad women walk into bars, it’s clear that most people cannot accept this behavior.

Brazilian musician Julie Yukari told Reuters that she uploaded a photo of herself in a red dress, but it was maliciously edited into a bikini version by netizens, which quickly spread on X.

The victims are not limited to her. On January 2, during midday, Grok received 102 complaints within just ten minutes, mostly involving women being forced to change into bikinis through Grok edits, and some involved men or even a monkey being victimized.

Even more alarming, a woman who may be a minor shared a photo on X wearing a shirt and plaid skirt. In the comments, a netizen called on Grok to “remove her school uniform” and replace it with a T-shirt and shorts, then later requested a bikini, but Grok ignored this prompt.

Image source: Getty Images

Grok Later Confirmed, After Reviewing User Interactions, That Some Users Requested and Received AI-Generated Images of Minors in Revealing Clothing, and Promised to Improve Safety Measures

Experts monitoring the development of AI policies on X revealed that the platform has ignored warnings from civil society and children’s safety organizations. Last year, these organizations sent a letter warning that xAI was just one step away from widespread distribution of non-consensual deepfake content.

Multiple countries have taken action to report and investigate X and Grok

In response to the misuse of Grok and the platform’s passive attitude, several governments have begun to act.

The French government has reported X to regulatory authorities, accusing Grok of generating images with sexual hints and discrimination, which is clearly illegal; the UK’s Ofcom also stated that creating or sharing non-consensual private or child sexual abuse images is illegal, including content generated with AI, and called for appropriate safeguards.

In Asia, the Malaysian government has launched an investigation after receiving complaints about Grok being misused to generate inappropriate images of women; India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also sent a letter to X, accusing the platform of not only failing to prevent Grok’s misuse but also enabling the creation and dissemination of obscene content.

Under regulatory pressure, X responded urgently, stating it will take action against illegal content such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including removing such content, permanently banning accounts, and cooperating with government and law enforcement agencies when necessary. Musk also warned users that anyone using Grok or inciting Grok to produce illegal content will face the same consequences as uploading illegal material.

Image source: X