X Limits Grok Image Tools to Paying Users as Regulators Intensify Scrutiny

Overview

• X and xAI restricted Grok’s image generation and editing on the X platform to subscribers after widespread creation of sexualized deepfakes, including content involving minors.
• The European Commission ordered X to preserve all Grok-related interaction records through 2026 and condemned some outputs as illegal.
• UK officials pressed for urgent enforcement under online safety laws, with the government backing Ofcom to act and critics calling the paywall an inadequate response.
• Three U.S. senators urged Apple and Google to delist X and Grok until policy violations are remedied, citing non‑consensual sexualized images of women and children.
• xAI acknowledged safeguard failures and says it removes illegal content, while reports note independent Grok channels still allow image creation and an analysis found a majority of altered images involved nudity.