AI-Generated Sexual Images: Grok and X Under Pressure

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Artificial Intelligence

By Léna Jauze

January 14, 2026

1 min

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If you look at the Media tab of Grok's X account, you'll find dozens - even hundreds - of photos of undressed women. At the end of 2025, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence, integrated into the X social network, found itself at the center of a sexual deepfake controversy.

Since December, text and image generation by Grok has become free for all X users. The AI uses data already online (public photos and social media content) which it combines with requests. This system is able to merge a real person's face with a nude body or a sexual scene. The result can appear real, without the person concerned having given their consent.

The European NGO AI Forensics (which investigates algorithms and the harm they cause) studied nearly 20,000 images generated by Grok, at the request of 8,500 users. According to them, 94% of the images show people. Among them, more than half are partially or completely nude. And 81% of them are women. The investigation also reveals that 2% of the images depict minors, sometimes under the age of five.

The AI doesn't create imaginary individuals: it recomposes visuals from existing photos on X. Users cannot completely protect themselves from it, except by making their profile private. However, victims can file a complaint against the person who originated the request and against xAI, Elon Musk's company. Legal experts advise taking screenshots of the fake images before reporting the facts.

Under pressure from the scandal, X changed its rules on January 9. From now on, only paying subscribers can generate or modify images with Grok. "We have identified gaps in our safeguards and we are correcting them," posted Grok's X account. Since subscribers must provide an identity and a means of payment, this should allow better control... but the measure remains very limited.

The European Union states that it takes sexualdeepfakes very seriously, especially those involving minors. It promises to strictly apply the Digital Services Act (DSA) to X. In France, a judicial investigation is underway.

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