Grok limits its AI image generator after the controversy over sexualized photographs

Grok, the social network’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool X (formerly Twitter), you have limited your image generator after the controversy over sexualized photographs demanded by thousands of users, among whom are minors.

Elon Musk’s platform has restricted access to this tool to users paying members and has offered users without a verification badge the option to purchase a subscription to unlock it.

“Image creation and editing is currently only available to paying members. You can subscribe to unlock these features,” Grok responded to users who have asked to sexualize or change the clothes of people, mainly women and children, in comments.

Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features: https://t.co/yArL5K26vT

— Grok (@grok) January 9, 2026

According to CNBC, the abuse of X’s ‘chatbot’ began at the end of last December, until it escalated on New Year’s Eve and spread across the platform, thus expanding the distribution of explicit images, without consent of the victims in most cases.

The measure comes after protests from the users themselves and the authorities, as in the case of United Kingdomwho even threatened Musk with a possible ban of X in the country, according to The Guardian.

In Spain, the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Regohas asked the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Grok for alleged crimes of disseminating material of sexual violence against children after the cases of nudity of minors.

For its part, the European Union has condemned the use of this tool to generate images of minors and has asked X to keep the documentation generated by Grok until the end of 2026 for possible investigation, Bloomberg has reported.

In a post of Elon Musk has responded that “anyone who uses Grok to create illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content.”

Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2026

Specifically, xAI’s policies state that, to comply with the law, it does not allow the use of its service to “represent images of people in a pornographic manner” or “the sexualization or exploitation of children.”