Why X Suddenly Restricted Grok AI Image Editing
X restricts Grok AI image editing to paid users after backlash over deepfake abuse, sparking outrage, UK regulation threats, and safety concerns.
Elon Musk's platform X has restricted image editing with its AI tool Grok to paying subscribers only, following criticism after it allowed the creation of sexualized deepfakes.
The move comes after widespread outrage over chatbots digitally creating images of people without their consent.
But now Grok is telling users requesting such content that only paid subscribers will be able to do so – meaning their names and details will be recorded.
Those who don't subscribe can still edit images using Grok on its separate app and website.
Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in pornography, sexual violence, and online regulation, said: "Musk has thrown his toys out of the pram in response to a tsunami of outrage."
"Instead of taking meaningful steps to ensure that Grok is not used for the creation of harmful content, he has resorted to dramatic measures."
And Hannah Swirsky, head of the Internet Watch Foundation, said "the damage has been done."
She added: "We believe that simply restricting access to a tool that should never have had the capacity to create the kind of images we've seen in recent days is not sufficient."
The charity previously said its investigators had discovered "criminal images" of girls aged 11 to 13 that were "generated" using Grok.
Swirsky said: "Waiting for the horse to bolt before closing the stable door is not acceptable."
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This comes as the government urged regulator Ofcom to use all its powers against X over illegal AI images on the site – including effective bans. Responding to concerns that Grok was being used to create and distribute sexualized images of children, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was "shameful" and "disgusting."
He said the government would give Ofcom its "full support" in taking action.
"It's illegal. We won't stand for it. I've asked for everything necessary to be put in place," he said in an interview with Greatest Hits Radio.
A government source said: "We expect Ofcom to use all the powers at its disposal in relation to Grok and X." Ofcom's powers under the Online Safety Act include the ability to prevent third parties from making money on Elon Musk's platform or assisting anyone in the UK.
They declined to comment further on contact with the regulator.
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'Subscribe to unlock'
Grok is a free tool that can be asked for a specific answer by tagging it directly in a post or in a reply below another user's post.
But this functionality has also been used to edit images of people and digitally remove clothing from people in their homes.
Grok has fulfilled numerous explicit requests to edit images of women, placing them in bikinis or lingerie – leaving those who have been subjected to such requests feeling "humiliated" and "dehumanized."
However, by Friday morning, Grok told users viewing images uploaded to X that "image generation and editing is still limited to paid subscribers only."
It added that users could "subscribe to include these features" in their pictures.
Some posts seen by the company suggest that only those with a blue tick "Verified" mark – which is exclusive to X's paid subscriber tier – were able to request image edits from Grok.
Dr. Daisy Dixon, a former X consultant, said she has used Grok with products she didn't create, which are in the public domain, and while she welcomed the change, she said it was "a stopgap solution" at best.
"Grok needs to be completely redesigned and have ethical safeguards built into it so this never happens again," she said.
"Elon Musk also needs to acknowledge it for what it is – another example of gender-based abuse."
Professor McGlynn said X's move is similar to its approach last year to the pornographic Taylor Swift deepfakes on the platform – where it blocked searches for the fabricated sexual content of the pop star using the Grok AI video feature.
She added, "Is this being done to fuel free speech arguments?"
"Their claim is that regulation is preventing people from using this technology. But all regulation does is require people to take precautions to mitigate harm."
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