X Faces Ban Pressure Over Grok Images
X is facing mounting regulatory scrutiny across multiple countries following reports that its AI chatbot, Grok, has been generating sexualised and non-consensual images, including content involving minors. The controversy has emerged less than two weeks into 2026 and is already raising the prospect of regional bans of the social media platform.
The issue centres on Grok’s image generation capabilities, which are integrated directly into X’s posting interface and also available through a standalone Grok app. Investigations by multiple outlets have found that users can prompt the system to produce explicit or “nudified” images of real people. According to research commissioned by Bloomberg, Grok was, at one point in early January, generating more than 6,700 images per hour that could be classified as sexually suggestive or intended to remove clothing.
While Elon Musk has acknowledged the problem, X has largely framed responsibility as lying with users rather than the platform. Musk has stated that any illegal content generated through Grok is the fault of the individual requesting it, and that enforcement will focus on those users. Regulators in several countries have indicated that this position may not be sufficient.
Authorities in India have formally ordered X to take “corrective action” to prevent the creation of material deemed obscene or illegal under local law. Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission has publicly warned the company to ensure Grok complies with domestic regulations, while Indonesia’s Communications Ministry has gone further, threatening to ban both X and Grok if the generation of “degrading pictures” continues. In Europe, French authorities have launched an investigation into sexually explicit deepfakes circulating on X, and the UK’s media regulator Ofcom has asked the company to detail how it is meeting its legal obligations to protect users.
In the UK, Prime Minister Kier Starmer said that “all options are on the table” if X fails to address the issue, including a potential ban. Regulators and critics have also questioned why Apple and Google continue to host X in their app stores, given that other AI-powered “nudify” apps have been removed.
