Governments and regulators across Europe, Asia and Oceania have condemned — and in some cases launched investigations into — sexually explicit images generated by Grok, the chatbot developed by xAI and integrated into X. The backlash has intensified pressure on the platform to demonstrate how it prevents and removes illegal content.
Late on Thursday, Grok said it would restrict image generation and editing features to paying subscribers only. Earlier this month, the chatbot acknowledged lapses in its safeguards after isolated cases in which it generated sexualised content, including depictions of minors in minimal clothing.
Elon Musk has said that users who create illegal content using Grok would face the same consequences as if they had uploaded such material directly.
Below are reactions from governments and regulators worldwide:
EUROPE
The European Commission extended a retention order requiring X to preserve all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026, amid concerns over AI-generated sexualised “undressing” images.
Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom said it had made urgent contact with X and xAI and would assess whether the service complies with obligations under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
In France, government ministers said they had referred explicit Grok-generated content circulating on X to prosecutors and alerted media regulator Arcom to review compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act.
Germany’s media minister Wolfram Weimer urged the European Commission to take legal action, warning that the issue risked becoming the “industrialisation of sexual harassment.”
Italy’s data protection authority warned that generating “undressed” deepfake images of real people without consent could constitute serious privacy violations and, in some cases, criminal offences.
Swedish political leaders also condemned Grok-generated sexualised imagery after reports that content involving the country’s deputy prime minister had been created from a user prompt.
ASIA
India’s IT Ministry issued a formal notice to X on January 2 over alleged Grok-enabled creation or sharing of obscene images, ordering the content removed and demanding a report on remedial actions within 72 hours.
Malaysia’s communications regulator MCMC said it would summon X and open an investigation into the alleged misuse of Grok to generate sexualised “undressing” images, warning of potential offences under national law.
OCEANIA
Australia’s online safety regulator eSafety Commissioner said it was investigating Grok-generated sexualised deepfake imagery under its image-based abuse framework. It noted that while adult material was under review, examples involving children examined so far did not meet the legal threshold for child sexual abuse material under Australian law.