Elon Musk’s X to block Grok from undressing images of real people

Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok will no longer be able to edit photos of real people to show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal, after widespread concern over sexualised AI deepfakes.

“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing,” reads an announcement on X.

The UK government said it was “vindication” for it calling on X to control Grok while regulator Ofcom said it was a “welcome development” – but added its investigation into whether the platform had broken UK laws “remains ongoing”.

Campaigners and victims say the change has come too late to undo the harm already done.

“We are working round the clock to progress this and get answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it,” Ofcom said.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall welcomed the move but said she would “expect the facts to be fully and robustly established by Ofcom’s ongoing investigation”.

Journalist and campaigner Jess Davies, who was among women whose images on X were edited with Grok, said the platform’s changes were a “positive step” but it should never have allowed such imagery in the first place.

“It’s a sobering thought to think of how many women including myself have been targeted by this [and] how many more victims of AI abuse of being created,” she told the BBC.

Davies also characterised the platform’s response on the whole as “really pathetic”.

“They’re just trying to do as little as possible within the loose legal guidelines that there are,” she told BBC news.

Dr Daisy Dixon, a lecturer in philosophy at Cardiff University, previously told the BBC that people using Grok to undress her in images on X had left her feeling “shocked”, “humiliated” and fearing for her safety.

She said on Thursday the platform’s U-turn was a “battle-win” for campaigners.

“But we must remember that the abuse should never have happened – many women are now left with extensive damage,” Dr Dixon said, adding the way women relate to and experience their bodies had been “hijacked and distorted against our will”.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said while it remained to be seen how X would implement its changes, it showed “how victims of abuse, campaigners and a show of strength from governments can force tech platforms to take action”.

“But it can’t stop here – given the evolving nature of AI-generated harms, tech platforms must be required to take proactive preventative action,” she said.

X’s change was announced hours after California’s top prosecutor said the state was probing the spread of sexualised AI deepfakes, including of children, generated by the AI model.

“We now geoblock the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X in those jurisdictions where it’s illegal,” X said in its statement..

It also reiterated that only paid users will be able to edit images using Grok on its platform.

This will add an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that those who try and abuse Grok to violate the law or X’s policies are held accountable, according to the statement.

With NSFW (not safe for work) settings enabled, Grok is supposed to allow “upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans (not real ones)” consistent with what can be seen in R-rated films, Musk wrote online on Wednesday.

“That is the de facto standard in America. This will vary in other regions according to the laws on a country by country basis,” said the tech multi-billionaire.

Musk had earlier defended X, posting that critics “just want to suppress free speech” along with two AI-generated images of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a bikini.

It is unclear how his platform will implement location-based blocks on Grok’s ability to edit images of real people to create sexualised imagery, and whether users would be able to get around them.

People seeking to circumvent similar geoblocks on features or content often look to tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), which can disguise their location online to allow them to use the internet as if they are in a different country.

VPN app downloads spiked in the UK last year after porn sites were required to start checking the age of visitors to comply with the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom said on Monday it would investigate whether X had failed to comply with UK law over the sexual images.

And if X does not comply, Ofcom could seek a court order to force internet service providers to block access to the site in the UK altogether.

Earlier this week, Sir Keir warned X could lose the “right to self regulate” amid a backlash over the AI images, but later in the week said he welcomed reports that X was taking action to address the issue.

The prime minister said he would “take the necessary measures” and strengthen legislation if X failed to act.

Policy researcher Riana Pfefferkorn said she was surprised X took so long to deploy the new Grok safeguards and that the editing features should have been removed as soon as the abuse began.

Questions remain on how X will enforce its new policies, such as how the AI model will know if an image is of a real person and what actions it will take when users break the rules, said Pfefferkorn.

Musk has not presented the company in a serious light either, she said, adding that it would help if he stopped “doing things like re-posting an AI image of Keir Starmer in a bikini.”

Additional reporting by Katy Bailes