Musk denies knowledge of Grok producing sexualised images of minors

In the US, Democratic lawmakers have called on Apple and Google to remove X from their respective app stores.

Last week, Elon Musk’s social media platform X blocked Grok’s ability to generate and edit images for many users, but watchdogs say sexualised images were still produced [File: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]
By Reuters

Published On 14 Jan 202614 Jan 2026

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X CEO Elon Musk has said he was not aware of any “naked underage images” generated by xAI’s Grok chatbot, as scrutiny of the AI tool intensifies worldwide.

“I [am] not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero,” Musk said in an X post on Wednesday.

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Musk’s comment on social media platform X comes as xAI and X face growing global scrutiny, including government investigations, calls by lawmakers and advocacy groups for Apple and Google to drop Grok from app stores, and bans or legal action in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Musk reiterated that Grok is programmed to refuse illegal requests and must comply with the laws of any given country or state.

“Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images, it does so only according to user requests,” Musk said.

Musk had said earlier on X that anyone using Grok to make illegal content would suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content.

Three Democratic United States senators last week called on Apple and Alphabet’s Google to remove X and its built-in AI chatbot Grok from their app stores, citing the spread of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors on the platform.

A coalition of women’s groups, tech watchdogs, and progressive activists also called on the tech giants for a similar move.

Last week, X curtailed Grok’s ability to generate or edit images publicly for many users. However, industry experts and watchdogs have said that Grok was still able to produce sexually explicit images, and that restrictions, such as paywalling certain features, may not fully block access to deeper AI image tools.

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In the United Kingdom, the law is set to change this week to criminalise the creation of such images, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that X is working to comply with the new rules.

Countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have already blocked access to Grok and are pursuing legal action against X and Musk’s AI unit xAI, alleging failures to prevent harmful content and protect users.