By Micah Jonah
January 16, 2026
Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot is facing regulatory pressure in Europe after xAI restricted image editing following the creation of thousands of sexualized images of women and minors.
xAI said on Wednesday it limited Grok AI’s ability to generate sexualized images after global regulators raised alarms. The move underscores the challenges of policing AI tools that make explicit content easy to produce.
Regulators in the UK, EU, Malaysia, and Indonesia have flagged the images as unlawful, and investigations continue. The EU has indicated it could enforce the Digital Services Act if xAI’s changes prove insufficient, while UK authorities maintain ongoing scrutiny.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer said free speech does not permit violation of consent, emphasized the safety of young women’s images. Experts highlight legal grey areas around AI-generated nudity and the heavy burden on victims to pursue justice.
The xAI climb-down reflects Musk’s acknowledgment of regulatory concerns but the broader fight over AI content moderation and digital deepfakes remains unresolved.
