Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, is back in the spotlight following an April 2026 investigation by NBC News alleging that its chatbot, Grok, continues to be used to generate non-consensual sexual deepfakes. This report suggests that despite multiple rounds of safety updates, users are still finding ways to create and share explicit “undress” images of real individuals on the X platform.
The Core Accusations
The NBC News report highlights a significant gap between xAI’s public safety pledges and the actual output of the tool:
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Failure of Safeguards: Dozens of AI-generated sexual images of real people were reportedly identified as having been posted publicly over the last month.
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Lack of Prompt Restrictions: The investigation claims that “Grok Imagine” still responds to prompts designed to bypass filters, enabling the creation of photorealistic sexual imagery.
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Regulatory Lag: While major competitors like Google (Gemini) and OpenAI (DALL-E) have strict, blanket bans on generating any explicit human imagery, Grok’s “anti-woke” and more permissive design is being cited as a primary factor for this ongoing misuse.
xAI and X Safety’s Stance
Hours after the report went live, the X Safety account issued a formal response, detailing their “layered defense” strategy.
“We strictly prohibit users from generating non-consensual explicit deepfakes and from using our tools to undress real people.” — X Safety Statement
Current Safety Measures Cited by xAI:
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Real-time Analysis: Continuous monitoring of public usage to identify and block evasion attempts.
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Frequent Model Updates: Rapidly patching “adversarial” prompts that users use to trick the AI.
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Zero-Tolerance Policy: xAI maintains that it bans users who attempt to generate illegal content and reports serious violations, such as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), to law enforcement.
A Growing Legal and Global Crisis
This latest report adds fuel to a fire that has been burning since early 2026. Grok is currently facing an unprecedented wave of legal and regulatory challenges:
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Global Bans: Countries including Indonesia and Malaysia have previously blocked Grok, citing human rights and dignity violations.
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Lawsuits: In January 2026, Ashley St. Clair filed a high-profile lawsuit against xAI after Grok allegedly generated deepfake images of her (including some based on childhood photos). More recently, a class-action lawsuit was filed by teenagers in Tennessee alleging similar abuses.
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Government Probes: The European Commission, the UK’s Ofcom, and the California Attorney General have all opened formal inquiries into whether xAI’s design “promoted and facilitated” the production of harmful content.
Comparison: How Grok Differs
| AI Model | Explicit Content Policy | Approach |
| OpenAI / Google | Strict Ban | Blanket filters prevent any generation of sexualized human forms. |
| xAI (Grok) | Permissive / Conditional | Allows more “unfiltered” creative freedom but relies on specific filters to block non-consensual or illegal use. |
The Bottom Line: While Musk and xAI maintain that they fix “bugs” as soon as they are found, critics argue that the model’s fundamental architecture is too permissive, making it a “cat-and-mouse game” that victims are currently losing.
