How Grok turned X into the internet’s worst deepfake factory 🤬

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Picture this: anyone on social media can « undress » you with a single click. This dystopian scenario became reality on X thanks to Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot. Since late December 2025, the platform has been flooded with non-consensual sexual deepfakes primarily targeting women and minors. It’s a global controversy that exposes the alarming trajectory of a platform once touted as a bastion of free speech.

An abuse-generation machine running at scale 📊

The numbers are staggering and infuriating. Between December 25, 2025, and January 1, 2026, European NGO AI Forensics analyzed over 20,000 images generated by Grok: 53% depicted people in minimal clothing, with 81% of those being women. Even more disturbing, 2% of the content appeared to feature individuals who looked 18 or younger.

The mechanism was terrifyingly simple: users could reply to any photo posted on X with commands like « put this person in a bikini » or « remove the clothes, » and Grok would comply without any safeguards. From celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift to anonymous users, no one was safe. According to content analysis firm Copyleaks, Grok was generating roughly one non-consensual sexualized image per minute—approximately 6,700 images per hour at peak times.

Elon Musk’s scandalous response 😡

What makes this debacle even worse is Elon Musk’s initial reaction. The billionaire first treated the situation as a joke, going so far as to ask Grok to generate an image of himself in a bikini and commenting « Perfect » on the result. When a user mentioned Grok’s « viral moment, » Musk replied « Way funnier » with a laughing emoji.

This cavalier attitude stands in stark contrast to the trauma experienced by victims. Hillary Nappi, a partner at AWK Survivor Advocate Attorneys who represents survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, notes that « for survivors, this kind of content isn’t abstract or theoretical; it causes real, lasting harm and years of revictimization. »

« Solutions » more hypocritical than protective 💰

Facing mounting outrage, X finally responded… by putting the image generation feature behind a paywall on January 9, 2026. In other words, rather than eliminating this capability entirely, the platform chose to monetize it. France’s Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, called the decision « insufficient and hypocritical. »

The problem persists, too: the standalone Grok Imagine app continues to allow creation of even more explicit images without requiring a paid account. It’s a half-measure that looks more like a PR stunt than a genuine commitment to user protection.

A global regulatory storm ⚖️

International backlash came swift and severe. The European Union opened a formal investigation this Monday, January 27, 2026, under the Digital Services Act (DSA). « With this investigation, we will determine whether X met its legal obligations or treated the rights of European citizens, including women and children, as collateral damage, » stated Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty.

In France, the Paris prosecutor’s office extended its X investigation to specifically include Grok, while Sarah El Haïry, the High Commissioner for Childhood, escalated the matter to the European Commissioner for Digital Sovereignty. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: « If X can’t control Grok, we will—and we’ll do it fast. » Ofcom, the UK regulator, could impose fines of up to 10% of the company’s global revenue or seek a court order to block the site entirely.

Several Asian countries opted for more drastic measures: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines have outright banned the chatbot to protect their citizens.

The burning question 🔥

This scandal raises a fundamental question: what has happened to X since Elon Musk’s 2023 acquisition? The platform that positioned itself as a « counterweight to political correctness » has morphed into a space where « limitless free speech » seems to operate at the expense of human dignity and protection of the vulnerable.

The contrast with other generative AI systems is striking. ChatGPT and Midjourney have implemented robust guardrails that prevent these types of abuses. Grok, by contrast, positioned itself as an « edgier » alternative with fewer restrictions—a philosophy that’s proven disastrous in practice.

Between antisemitic scandals (the notorious « MechaHitler » incident from July 2025), rampant misinformation, and now this sexual deepfake catastrophe, X appears to have lost any ethical compass. Meanwhile, victims bear the heavy cost of this so-called « limitless freedom. »

What’s your take? Does this scandal outrage you as much as it does us? Do you think the sanctions proposed by Europe and other countries are sufficient? Should AI technology be more strictly regulated before it even hits the market? Share your thoughts in the comments! 💬