Despite the company’s claims to crack down on abuse, X continues to allow the posting of highly sexualized videos of women in bikinis generated by its AI tool Grok.
The Guardian was able to create short videos of fully clothed, bikini-clad people from photographs of real women. It was also possible to post this adult content to X’s public forum without any indication of it being moderated, meaning the clip could be viewed within seconds with any account.
It appears to provide a direct solution to the restrictions announced by Elon Musk’s social network this week. These were welcomed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described the images generated by Grok as “disgusting” and “shameful”.
After weeks of growing public concern,
It said the ban would apply to all users, including paid subscribers, and that it has “zero tolerance for any form of pedophilia, non-consensual nudity and unwanted sexual content”. But it didn’t specify whether people would still be able to create such images on the standalone Grok app, and then share this content publicly on X.
The Guardian found that this standalone version of Grok, known as Grok Imagine – which is easily accessible via web browser – was still responding to signals to digitally remove clothing from images of women.
Reporters uploaded still photos of fully clothed real-life women and prompted the AI tool to dress them in bikinis. The platform also responded to requests to create short videos of women taking off their clothes in a sexually provocative striptease manner.
X has been contacted for comment.
Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns for the Coalition to End Violence Against Women, said such an easy solution should not be possible.
“The continued ease of access to sophisticated nudging tools clearly demonstrates that X is not taking the issue of online violence against women and girls seriously,” she said.
Hitchen called on the UK government and media regulator Ofcom to put pressure on X and other platforms “to stop the spread of image-based sexual exploitation”.
Reuters also reported that its journalists, including a UK reporter, used Grok to create on-demand erotic photos following X’s announcements.
Penny East, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said, “It’s hard to believe that XAI and Elon Musk can’t work out how to stop these images from being spread by Grok.” “First, Musk decided the solution was to preserve nudity as a privilege only for users who pay for X. Then he resolved to stop it altogether. And so far it hasn’t stopped.
“The truth is that Musk and the tech sector don’t prioritize safety or dignity in the products they make. It’s a very low barrier for women to expect that they can interact online without men taking off their clothes. And yet it appears that’s impossible.”
While Downing Street said it felt “vindicated” by the steps taken by Ax, there was also caution among ministers about the extent of the changes and how they would be delivered.
On Thursday Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who had described the sexual manipulation of images of women and children as “disgusting and disgusting”, welcomed the move and thanked “those who have spoken out against this abuse, above all the victims”.
However, she added: “I would expect the facts to be fully and firmly established in Ofcom’s ongoing investigation.”
Starmer also called on Ax to take immediate action. “Freedom of expression is not freedom to violate consent,” he said. “Photographs of young women are not public property, and their protection is not up for debate. I welcome that X is now acting to ensure full compliance with UK law – this must happen immediately.”
Ofcom said a formal investigation into Axe, launched on Monday, is ongoing and it is “working around the clock to take it forward and get answers about what went wrong and what is being done to fix it”.
Canada’s privacy watchdog said it is investigating xAI, while Philippines authorities said they are moving to block Grok, with Malaysian authorities planning to take legal action.
But the controversy may help raise public awareness about Grok. On Thursday, Musk shared a post claiming that “popularity and real-world usage is skyrocketing globally” — with the graph of “grok” reaching a new high as a search term on Google Trends. Musk simply said: “Try Grok.com.”
A government spokesperson said: “The Online Safety Act already requires platforms like X to prevent illegal content, including non-consensual intimate images and child abuse material, from appearing on their services.
“The Secretary of State has said that he expects X’s compliance with UK laws to be fully and firmly established by Ofcom’s investigation, which is already underway, and that the Government will not rest until social media companies meet their legal duties.
“We are also taking further action through a proposed ‘nudification’ offence, which will specifically target tools designed to generate non-consensual intimate images.”
