WASHINGTON, United States – Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok has received severe criticism after it produced sexualized deepfakes of women and minors. The European Union is joining the blocking as the United Kingdom threatens an investigation into the controversial AI tool.
After the release of the “edit image” button on Grok, many users uploaded photos of themselves in bikinis or undressed, causing widespread abuse on the internet. The digital undressing prompted immediate action from countries such as France, India, and Malaysia.
According to the European Commission, Grok offers a “spicy mode” that displays explicit sexual content, including some output that features children. EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier said: "This is illegal and disturbing. It has no place in Europe." At the same time, UK regulator Ofcom has contacted X and xAI to ensure legal protection for UK users.
Malaysian lawyer Azira Aziz expressed concern after AI was used to change a user's profile picture to a bikini. She said that playful use of AI, such as putting sunglasses on public figures, is fine, but gender-based violence using AI against women and children must be combated.
Despite the controversy, Grok assured that lapses in their tool have been fixed and CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) is strictly prohibited. Meanwhile, new investigations have emerged in Paris and India against Grok for sexualized content, while Malaysia has also begun investigating indecent and offensive material on the platform.
