Grok Nudity Scandal Expands As X Monetizes AI Access
The artificial intelligence chatbot ‘Grok’ has become the center of a major international controversy following reports of widespread misuse. Users on the social media platform X discovered they could easily manipulate the AI to generate non-consensual sexualized images of women and children. This alarming trend involved simple text prompts that instructed the software to digitally remove clothing or alter photographs to appear explicit. The volume of these requests reportedly reached thousands per hour as the flaw became public knowledge in early 2026.
Regulators and government officials across the globe have reacted with swift condemnation of the platform’s safety failures. The European Commission immediately ordered X to retain all internal documents and data related to the incident for a potential investigation. Officials warned that the inability to prevent the generation of illegal content constitutes a serious breach of digital safety laws. This scrutiny comes at a time when tech companies are under increasing pressure to demonstrate responsible governance of generative AI tools.
In response to the growing outcry Elon Musk and his company xAI implemented a controversial change to the service. The platform announced that the image generation and editing capabilities of ‘Grok’ would now be restricted to paying subscribers only. This decision effectively put a paywall up for the features that were causing the most harm rather than removing them entirely. Musk also pushed back against the criticism by suggesting that the outrage was merely an excuse for censorship.
The move to monetize access to the flawed tool has sparked even more anger among critics and safety advocates. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly slammed the decision as an insult to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. The official statement argued that charging for the tool simply turns the creation of unlawful images into a premium service. Many believe that financial barriers are not a sufficient safeguard against determined bad actors who wish to generate harmful content.
European Union officials have remained firm in their stance that the business model is irrelevant to the core safety issue. EU digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier told reporters that the fundamental problem persists regardless of whether the user pays a fee or not. He emphasized that platforms must ensure their systems are designed to prevent the creation of illegal material completely. The regulatory body continues to demand that X prove it has implemented effective measures to stop the dissemination of deepfake imagery.
Cybersecurity experts have backed these concerns by noting that access restrictions do not address the underlying technical flaws. Cliff Steinhauer from the National Cybersecurity Alliance stated that safety gaps allowed sexualized content to emerge in the first place. He warned that relying solely on subscription tiers is not a comprehensive solution for user protection. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with unrestricted generative artificial intelligence.
We want to hear your opinion on whether paywalls are an effective way to manage AI safety risks in the comments.
