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U.S. Democrats Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok Over Sexualised AI Images

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Three Democratic U.S. senators have urged Apple and Google to remove social media platform X and its built-in artificial intelligence chatbot Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of non-consensual sexual images of women and minors.

In a letter published on Friday, Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Lujan and Edward Markey said the two tech giants “must remove these apps from the app stores until X’s policy violations are addressed.” The letter argues that the continued availability of the apps undermines Apple’s and Google’s own app store rules prohibiting sexual or pornographic material and content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has faced growing global scrutiny after Grok generated AI-created images depicting women and children in sexualised or degrading contexts without consent. The senators noted that both Apple and Google have previously acted quickly to remove apps found to be in violation of similar standards.

“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” the lawmakers wrote.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. X referred to an earlier statement saying it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material. X’s parent company, xAI, did not directly address the senators’ demands, reiterating only that criticism of the platform amounted to “legacy media lies.”

The pressure comes as regulators in several countries intensify scrutiny of X and Grok. In Britain, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she expected media regulator Ofcom to take action within days if the platform fails to comply with online safety rules.

While xAI has introduced some limits on Grok’s image generation for non-paying users, critics argue the measures are insufficient. Senator Wyden said the changes merely force some users to pay to create harmful images, while the platform continues to profit from abusive content.

Bollywood Stars Sue Google Over AI Deepfakes, Seek Protection for “Personality Rights

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India’s most famous celebrity couple, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, have taken legal action against Google’s YouTube, demanding stronger protections for their voice, image, and likeness in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Bachchans filed lawsuits in the Delhi High Court seeking removal of AI-generated videos that use their likeness without consent and asking the court to require Google to implement safeguards to prevent such YouTube videos from being used to train other AI platforms.

The filings, reviewed by Reuters, argue that YouTube’s data and AI-sharing policies allow creators to consent to third-party use of uploaded content for AI training, which could cause widespread replication of infringing or misleading material.

“Such content being used to train AI models has the potential to multiply the instances of use of any infringing content,” the filings stated.

INDIA’S ‘PERSONALITY RIGHTS’ GAP

India has no explicit law protecting personality rights — the legal ownership of one’s image, name, and voice — unlike the United States. But Bollywood stars have increasingly turned to courts for relief as AI-generated deepfakes spread across social media.

In 2023, a Delhi court barred the unauthorized use of actor Anil Kapoor’s voice, image, and catchphrases. The Bachchans’ case, however, marks the most high-profile clash yet between Bollywood and big tech over AI exploitation.

The lawsuits accuse YouTube of hosting “egregious,” “sexually explicit,” and “fictitious” AI videos depicting the couple in fabricated scenarios — such as Abhishek kissing another actress, or Aishwarya dining with ex-boyfriend Salman Khan while Abhishek fumes nearby.

The court has already ordered the removal of 518 infringing links and posts, ruling that they harmed the couple’s reputation and caused financial damage. Yet similar videos remain visible on YouTube, Reuters found.

GOOGLE UNDER PRESSURE

The Bachchans are seeking $450,000 in damages and a permanent injunction against further misuse. Their legal team argues that YouTube’s data-sharing policy, which lets users opt to share videos for AI training with firms like OpenAI, Meta, or xAI, enables the spread of harmful deepfakes.

Legal experts say the couple’s case will test how far Indian courts are willing to hold tech platforms accountable.

“It wouldn’t be beyond the pale for the court to nudge YouTube to revise its user policies or create a fast-track system for celebrity complaints,” said Eashan Ghosh, an intellectual property professor at National Law University Delhi.

AI AND BOLLYWOOD COLLIDE

YouTube’s AI ecosystem in India is massive — the company says it has paid $2.4 billion to Indian creators in the last three years, and its 600 million users make it YouTube’s largest market. Some creators now profit by posting AI-generated Bollywood content.

A YouTube channel called “AI Bollywood Ishq” has posted 259 videos with 16.5 million views, showing AI-generated “love stories” starring Bollywood lookalikes. One popular video features Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan in a swimming pool; another shows Abhishek Bachchan fighting Khan.

The channel claims to use Grok AI and Chinese startup MiniMax’s Hailuo AI to generate videos from simple text prompts. Its page states:

“Content is made only for entertainment and creative storytelling.”

The Delhi High Court has ordered Google to submit written responses before the next hearing on January 15, 2026.

Elon Musk’s X Increases Premium-Plus Subscription Pricing to Boost Creator Payments

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Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has increased the cost of its premium-plus subscription tier in several markets starting December 21, aiming to enhance payouts for content creators. The price for this top-tier plan has risen from $16 to $22 per month in the United States, as announced in a recent blog post. Meanwhile, the pricing for the basic tier and premium subscriptions remains unchanged at $3 and $8, respectively.

In October, X revised its revenue-sharing practices to ensure that subscription fees more effectively benefit creators. The updated model emphasizes content quality and user engagement, rather than relying primarily on ad views, to determine creator compensation.

The new pricing applies only to new subscribers, while existing members will continue to pay the previous rate until January 20. Premium-plus subscribers gain benefits such as ad-free browsing, enhanced access to the Grok AI chatbot, and Radar—a feature offering real-time analytics on trending topics through keyword tracking.

This move underscores Musk’s broader strategy to diversify X’s revenue streams. The platform, historically dependent on advertising revenue, is now focusing on subscriptions as a key growth driver. Since acquiring Twitter and rebranding it to X, Musk has been working to reshape the platform’s business model to better align with the demands of both creators and subscribers.