Overview
- Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries to block Grok, citing misuse to generate non‑consensual sexualized images including content involving minors.
- Ofcom launched a formal investigation into X’s handling of Grok content, examining risk assessments, takedown practices, privacy compliance and age checks, with possible fines up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue and even access blocking for serious breaches.
- xAI and Elon Musk say they suspended offending accounts and recently limited image generation and editing on X to paying subscribers, but researchers and regulators say misuse persists.
- Grok’s standalone app and website continue to offer free image and video generation, undercutting restrictions applied inside X’s paid tier.
- Independent analysts at AI Forensics reviewed over 20,000 Grok images and 50,000 prompts from late December to early January and reported a high prevalence of sexualized content, with more than half of people depicted in minimal clothing.