Highlights
- Advocacy groups are urging Apple and Google to ban X and xAI’s Grok, citing misuse.
- Grok now restricts editing of real people in revealing clothing, limits image features to paid subscribers, and geoblocks content in certain jurisdictions.
- Users are already attempting to bypass restrictions, raising doubts about whether these measures will work.
Pressure is mounting on Apple to take action against X and xAI’s Grok chatbot, following widespread misuse of the AI tool. A coalition of digital rights, child safety, and women’s rights groups urged Apple to “take immediate action” against X and Grok. Meanwhile, xAI announced changes to how Grok handles image editing though with notable limitations.
Apple Under Renewed Scrutiny Over X and Grok
Over the past few days, numerous X and Grok users have reportedly asked the chatbot to undress women and even underage girls using photos shared on X. Although xAI initially described the issue as “lapses in safeguards,” Grok continued to comply with multiple such requests.
These incidents have reportedly resulted in X being blocked in several countries, while xAI has come under investigation in others. At the same time, Apple has faced increasing pressure from both users and lawmakers to remove X and Grok from the App Store.
Earlier today, a coalition of 28 digital rights, child safety, and women’s rights organisations sent open letters to both Apple and Google. The letters called on the companies “to take immediate action to ban Grok, the large language model (LLM) powered by xAI,” from their respective app stores.
The open letter reads, “We, the undersigned organizations, write to urge Apple leadership to take immediate action to ban Grok, the large language model (LLM) powered by xAI, from Apple’s app store. Grok is being used to create mass amounts of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII), including child sexual abuse material (CSAM)—content that is both a criminal offense and in direct violation of Apple’s App Review Guidelines. Because Grok is available on the Grok app and directly integrated into X, we call on Apple leadership to immediately remove access to both apps.”
It further adds, “As it stands, Apple is not just enabling NCII and CSAM, but profiting off of it. As a coalition of organizations committed to the online safety and wellbeing of all—particularly women and children—as well as the ethical application of artificial intelligence (AI), we demand that Apple leadership urgently remove Grok and X from the App Store to prevent further abuse and criminal activity.”
xAI Confirms Partial Restrictions on Grok Image Editing
Apple and Google have largely stayed silent on the matter, drawing criticism and speculation that they may be reluctant to upset Elon Musk or even President Trump. xAI has now confirmed updates to Grok’s functionality.
In a post outlining the changes, xAI stated, “We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.”
“Additionally, image creation and the ability to edit images via the Grok account on the X platform are now only available to paid subscribers. This adds an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.”
“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.”
Users Already Attempting to Bypass New Limits
Despite the newly announced safeguards, early signs suggest the restrictions may not be fully effective. A quick look at Grok’s mentions on X shows that several subscribers are already trying to bypass the new limits, with mixed results.
Meanwhile, most non-subscribers attempting to use image-related features are met with a message that reads, “Image generation and editing are currently limited to verified Premium subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”
It remains to be seen whether xAI’s changes will be enough to satisfy regulators, advocacy groups, and platform gatekeepers like Apple and Google.
FAQs
Q1. Why are advocacy groups pressuring Apple to remove X and Grok?
Answer. Grok has been misused to generate nonconsensual intimate images (NCII) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM), violating Apple’s App Store guidelines.
Q2. What changes has xAI made to Grok’s image editing features?
Answer. xAI restricted editing of real people in revealing clothing, limited image features to paid subscribers, and geoblocked such content in jurisdictions where it’s illegal.
Q3. Are the new xAI Grok safeguards effective?
Answer. Early signs suggest users are already attempting to bypass restrictions, raising doubts about whether xAI’s measures will satisfy regulators and advocacy groups