Concerns are mounting over the AI chatbot Grok, integrated into X, after reports emerged that sexualized images of children were being generated and shared online. Elon Musk has responded, insisting that he has seen “literally zero” examples of such illegal content and emphasizing the system’s safeguards.
“I’m not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero. Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images, it does so only according to user requests. When asked to generate images, it will refuse to produce anything illegal, as the operating principle for Grok is to obey the laws of any given country or state. There may be times when adversarial hacking of Grok prompts does something unexpected. If that happens, we fix the bug immediately.”
The concerns are real. The Internet Watch Foundation reported that criminals had used Grok to create child sexual abuse imagery, with children as young as 11 appearing in such content on dark web forums. Women have also flagged that Grok-generated images of real people were circulated without consent, sometimes digitally altered in sexualized ways.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the developments during a Commons session, saying:
“The actions of Grok and X are disgusting and they’re shameful, and frankly, the decision to then turn this into a premium service is horrific, and we’re absolutely determined to take action.”
Media regulator Ofcom has opened a formal assessment into whether X has breached the Online Safety Act, which prohibits hosting illegal content involving minors or non-consensual intimate imagery. The regulator can impose fines or restrict access to the platform if violations are found. Polling by More In Common shows nearly three in five respondents would support banning X if Grok cannot be effectively controlled, while four in five fear that AI-enabled digital undressing could be a precursor to wider misuse. The UK government is now drafting legislation to criminalize companies providing tools intended to create illicit imagery.
Musk’s statement highlights the tension between AI innovation and responsibility. While he maintains that Grok follows legal frameworks and refuses illegal requests, the controversy underscores the urgent need for oversight, safeguards, and ethical accountability in a world where AI increasingly intersects with everyday life.
