Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has restricted image generation and editing features on its Grok chatbot to paid subscribers on social media platform X, following widespread backlash over the creation of sexualised images.
The move comes after reports showed that Grok was being used to generate semi-nude and sexualised images of women and children, often without consent, triggering criticism from European lawmakers and regulators. German media minister Wolfram Weimer described the trend as the industrialisation of sexual harassment, while the European Commission labelled the content illegal.
On Friday, Grok notified users on X that image generation and editing tools were now available only to paying subscribers. However, the standalone Grok app, which operates independently of X, continues to allow free image generation.
