Elon Musk has denied that xAI’s Grok chatbot has generated any “naked underage images,” as the AI tool faces increasing scrutiny from governments, advocacy groups, and lawmakers worldwide.
“I’m not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero,” Musk wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He emphasized that Grok does not spontaneously create images, and only generates content in response to user prompts, while being programmed to refuse illegal requests.
The remarks come amid mounting pressure on Musk’s AI and social media operations, including calls by three Democratic U.S. senators for Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors. A coalition of women’s groups, tech watchdogs, and activists has made similar demands.
Last week, X implemented restrictions limiting Grok’s ability to generate or edit images publicly, but experts warn that paywalls and partial restrictions may not fully prevent access to harmful content.
Internationally, some governments are taking decisive action. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Grok and initiated legal proceedings against X and Musk’s AI unit, xAI, for alleged failure to curb harmful content. In the UK, new laws set to criminalize the creation of sexualized images of minors are prompting X to ensure compliance, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Musk reiterated that users attempting to generate illegal content through Grok would face the same consequences as if they directly uploaded prohibited material, underscoring the company’s position on legal accountability.
