Elon Musk Moves to Monetize Grok Deepfake Abuse, UK Calls It Insulting

On Friday, Elon Musk’s social media platform X added the lightest of restrictions on its AI chatbot Grok following backlash over the AI tool being used to alter users’ photos on X to generate sexually degrading deepfakes of women and children. Not everyone is buying it.

The chatbot now appears to users from generating or editing images when they tag Grok in an X post, unless they’re a premium subscriber.

“Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features,” the Grok chatbot, which is not the same as a spokesperson, posted Thursday on X in response to a user.

However, as The Verge first pointed out, that statement isn’t entirely true. Grok’s image tools are still available for free when users access the chatbot through the Grok website and app or the Grok tabs on the X app and website. Users can also instruct Grok to alter images by using the “Edit image” button on X’s desktop website or by long-pressing on any image on its mobile app.

The idea of limiting the chatbot’s image tools to paid subscribers on X as a solution has drawn sharp criticism. A spokesperson for Downing Street called the move “insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.” The U.K., along with many other governments, has been quick to call on X to address its deepfake problem.

“The move simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service,” the spokesperson told The Guardian.

Since late last month, some X users have been using Grok to generate sexualized images from photos posted by other users on the platform without their consent, including images involving minors.

A social media and deepfake researcher found that Grok generated about 6,700 sexually suggestive or nudifying images per hour over a 24-hour period in early January, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

The U.K.’s online regulator, Ofcom, said earlier this week that it contacted the company over the issue and warned it could open an investigation into whether X is complying with the country’s laws.

The European Commission is also looking into whether X is complying with its laws and has ordered X to retain all internal documents relating to Grok until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Wyden told Gizmodo that AI chatbots are not covered under Section 230, a law that shields online platforms from liability for illegal conduct by users.

“As I’ve said before, AI chatbots are not protected by Section 230 for content they generate, and companies should be held fully responsible for the criminal and harmful results of that content. States must step in to hold X and Musk accountable if Trump’s DOJ won’t,” Wyden said.

This isn’t the first time Grok has caused problems for X. Last year, an update meant to address what Musk described as a “center-left bias” instead led Grok to generate antisemitic propaganda, even referring to itself as “MechaHitler.”

And these controversies don’t appear to be helping the company’s bottom line. Bloomberg reports that xAI, the parent company of X and Grok, reported a net loss of $1.46 billion for the quarter ending in September and burned through $7.8 billion in the first nine months of the year.

X has been facing its own financial fallout. The company’s U.K. revenue fell nearly 60% in 2024 as advertisers fled the platform, according to The Guardian.

While it may seem bizarre that Musk hasn’t taken stronger action to address the controversies, none of it appears to have slowed investor enthusiasm. xAI announced this week that it raised $20 billion in its most recent funding round.

Contacted for comment, xAI responded to Gizmodo with an email saying, “Legacy Media Lies.”

X, meanwhile, pointed to a statement it posted on January 3.

“We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” the company’s Safety account posted on X. “Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”