Under a barrage of global condemnation for enabling a tsunami of “criminal” sexualized deepfakes, Elon Musk’s platform X has executed a frantic retreat, slapping a paywall on its most dangerous A.I. tool—but critics are branding the move a cynical ploy that fails to undo the “humiliating” harm already unleashed on women and children.
The chatbot Grok, which users could freely tag to request image edits, has been weaponized in recent days to digitally strip clothing from images of real people without their consent. Following a massive public and governmental backlash, Grok now tells users that “image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.” The move effectively restricts the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery to those willing to put their name and payment details on file.
The policy shift comes too late for countless victims and fails to satisfy experts who say the core problem is the tool’s very design. Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in online abuse law, blasted Musk’s move, saying he “has thrown his toys out of the pram in protest at being held to account.”
“Instead of taking the responsible steps to ensure Grok could not be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the vast majority of users,” McGlynn stated.
The Internet Watch Foundation, a charity, revealed its analysts had discovered “criminal imagery” of girls aged 11 to 13 that appeared to be created using Grok. Hannah Swirsky, the foundation’s head of policy, said limiting access “does not undo the harm which has been done” and that waiting for abuse to happen before acting is “unacceptable.”
Government Fury and the Threat of a U.K. Ban
The scandal has reached the highest levels of government. U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the creation of sexualized images of adults and children “disgraceful” and “disgusting,” vowing not to tolerate the “unlawful” content. He has directed communications regulator Ofcom to use “all options” at its disposal, which include the nuclear option: seeking a court order to effectively ban X in the United Kingdom by blocking access and cutting off its revenue streams.
For victims like Dr Daisy Dixon, who saw a surge in requests to “undress” her using Grok, the paywall is a “sticking plaster” on a gaping wound. “Grok needs to be totally redesigned and have built-in ethical guardrails to prevent this from ever happening again,” she told the BBC, calling on Musk to acknowledge it as “yet another instance of gender-based violation.”
Why It Matters
Critics note this is a familiar pattern for Musk’s X. The platform similarly blocked searches for AI-generated pornographic deepfakes of Taylor Swift last year, only after a global outcry. Professor McGlynn accused Musk of using the paywall to “stoke free speech arguments” while sidestepping genuine responsibility.
