Musk Denies Grok AI Produced Sexualised Images of Minors Amid Global Backlash

 

Elon Musk has denied claims that xAI’s chatbot, Grok, has been used to generate sexualised images of minors, as global scrutiny over the artificial intelligence tool continues to grow.

The controversy has triggered calls from U.S. Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups urging Apple and Google to remove X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — from their app stores due to concerns over harmful and illegal content being produced through its built-in AI technology.

Responding to the allegations on Wednesday, Musk said he was unaware of any such material being created by Grok.

“I am not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

The xAI founder added that Grok is programmed to reject illegal requests and must comply with the laws of every country or region in which it operates.

“Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images — it does so only according to user requests,” Musk said. “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content themselves.”

Pressure From Lawmakers and Advocacy Groups

Last week, three Democratic U.S. senators formally called on Apple and Alphabet’s Google to remove X and Grok from their app marketplaces. The lawmakers cited the spread of non-consensual sexual images involving women and minors as a major concern.

Their call was supported by a coalition of women’s rights groups, technology watchdogs and progressive organizations, who accused the platform of failing to prevent the abuse of its AI tools.

Global Crackdown on Grok

X has already taken steps to limit Grok’s image-generation abilities. The company recently restricted public access to some image-editing and generation features, especially for free users.

However, experts and digital safety groups say these measures may not be enough. They warn that Grok is still capable of producing explicit images and that paywalls or partial restrictions do not fully block access to advanced AI tools.

In the United Kingdom, new laws set to take effect this week will make the creation of AI-generated sexual images — including deepfakes — a criminal offense. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that X is working with authorities to comply with the new regulations.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Indonesia have already blocked access to Grok. Both countries are pursuing legal action against X and Musk’s AI company, xAI, accusing them of failing to prevent harmful content and protect users, especially minors.

A Growing Test for AI Regulation

The Grok controversy highlights the growing global challenge of regulating artificial intelligence and protecting people from its misuse. Governments, tech platforms, and AI developers now face increasing pressure to ensure that powerful tools like Grok cannot be exploited for harmful or illegal purposes.

As investigations and legal actions continue, the future of Grok — and its availability on major platforms — remains uncertain.