Tesla CEO and founder of AI firm xAi, Elon Musk has denied allegations that Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by his company xAI, generated sexualised images of minors. The clarification comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny over the misuse of AI-powered image generation tools on social media platforms.

Responding on X, Musk said he was not aware of any instance where Grok had produced nude or sexualised images involving underage individuals. He stated that, to his knowledge, no such content had been generated by the chatbot.

The comments follow reports claiming that Grok had complied with user requests to digitally undress images of real people, with some allegations suggesting that minors were involved. These reports have drawn attention from regulators and policymakers.

Musk Clarification

Musk said that Grok does not independently generate images and only responds to prompts submitted by users. According to him, the system is designed to refuse requests that violate laws or platform policies.

He added that Grok is built to follow the legal requirements of the country or state in which it operates. Any request that is illegal, including those involving sexual content related to minors, is expected to be rejected by the system.

Musk also acknowledged that there could be rare instances where the system behaves unexpectedly due to what he described as adversarial prompting. In such cases, he said, the company addresses the issue immediately by fixing the underlying problem.

Grok Image Allegations

Following the controversy, X introduced additional restrictions on Grok’s image generation features. The chatbot has been barred from editing images of real people in revealing clothing, and access to image creation and editing through Grok has been limited to paid subscribers.

These measures are intended to reduce the risk of misuse and address concerns around consent and inappropriate content. The changes reflect a broader effort by the platform to tighten controls around AI-generated media.

Elon Musk also responded to claims circulating on X that suggested certain political groups were more likely to encounter the controversial images. He dismissed the idea that Grok could independently target users or distribute illegal content without prompts.

Regulatory Scrutiny

In India, the issue has attracted the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The ministry previously took action against X Corp for failing to prevent the generation and circulation of obscene and explicit content on its platform.

The government directed the company to submit an action taken report detailing steps to ensure immediate compliance. The directive specifically referred to preventing the hosting, generation and transmission of obscene or indecent content through the misuse of AI-based services such as Grok.

Indian authorities have increasingly focused on the regulation of artificial intelligence tools, particularly those capable of generating images or deepfakes. Concerns have been raised about the potential harm such technologies can cause if safeguards are not effectively enforced.

Debate on Controversy

The controversy around Grok highlights a wider debate on the responsibility of AI developers and platforms in preventing misuse. As generative AI tools become more accessible, regulators across countries are examining how existing laws apply to AI-generated content.

While companies argue that responsibility lies with users who submit illegal prompts, governments are pushing for stronger safeguards at the platform level. The situation underscores the challenge of balancing innovation with safety and accountability.

For now, Musk maintains that Grok operates within legal boundaries and that any violations are unintended and addressed quickly. The issue is likely to remain under scrutiny as regulators continue to assess how AI systems are deployed and controlled in public-facing platforms.