AI Has A Misogyny Problem, And The Latest Grok Situation Is Proof

Recently, an AI platform by Elon Musk's company, Grok, has been in the news because of its photo generation technology. The software built on X (formerly known as Twitter) is now used for generating sexualised images of real women, including those of minors.

Prompts like “put her in a transparent bikini” or "remove her clothes" were constantly used on the chatbot due to its newly launched so-called "spicy mode" producing sexualised images of real people.

Days after the widespread controversy, X announced that it had "geoblocked" users from using Grok to generate sexually explicit photos of real people.

"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," X's safety team said in a statement. "This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers."

On January 11, Indonesia became the first country to block access to Grok entirely, with neighbouring Malaysia following shortly. India said Sunday that X had removed thousands of posts and hundreds of user accounts in response to its complaint

This came soon after CEO Elon Musk said he was not aware of any “naked underage images” generated by Grok. Despite the restrictions, a report in The Guardian suggests that users are still able to misuse Grok to undress people. 

At the core of this controversy lies a profound question about AI ethics and consent. Unlike traditional sexual content issues, which can be regulated, AI can produce realistic images of people who never agreed to be depicted that way.

The Sudden Spread

The problem started last year when the said AI platform hosted on X, launched its "Spicy mode" through which users could generate sexual images using text prompts.

It became controversial when, last month, the platform permitted a large number of users to generate such images of real people who had posted their pictures on social media.

A nonprofit group called AI Forensics said in a report that it analysed 20,000 images generated by Grok between December 25, 2025, and January 1, 2026.

They found that 2% depicted a person who appeared to be 18 or younger, including 30 of 'young or very young women or girls', in bikinis or transparent clothes.

A growing list of countries and organisations are seeking a response from Elon Musk and the platform, which includes the EU ( European Union), India, the UK, Malaysia and more.

Company's Response

Several users complained about ‘offensive’ AI images to the Indian Ministry of Information and Technology (MeitY), and it directed the U.S.-based company to submit an action taken report (ATR) against such use of its technology within 72 hours of its direction against the offensive content generation.

In response, Musk made a vague response in an X post. On January 3, he replied that users using the platform’s AI services to make illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content.

Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2026

On January 14, Elon Musk publicly denied that his AI chatbot Grok generated any explicit images of minors, insisting he is “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero.”

He explained that Grok doesn’t create images on its own and is designed to refuse illegal requests, only responding to user prompts. 

What Governments have to say

According to The Hindu, the European Union officials called the content 'illegal', warning that platforms allowing such outputs could violate the Digital Services Act.

The UK's communication regulator, Liz Kendall, said, "We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls."

In India, the Ministry of Electronics and IT, issued a notice to the platform X, demanding an explanation of the safeguards that were being put in place. 

The Paris prosecutor's office said they were "widening an ongoing investigation of X to include sexually explicit deepfakes after officials received complaints from lawmakers."

The Malaysian communications said they were "investigating X users who violated laws," prohibiting the circulation of "grossly offensive, obscene or indecent content."

This moment is not about one AI platform or tool. It’s about accountability and transparency towards civil society. If technological companies want the freedom to build powerful AI software, they should also accept responsibility when these systems fail to comply with decency and morality.

Otherwise, "innovation" becomes an excuse for exploitation.

Views expressed by the author are their own.