X says it will geoblock Grok from making explicit images of real people in some jurisdictions

X said late Wednesday that it would block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot created by Elon Musk, from generating sexualized and naked images of real people on its platforms in jurisdictions where such content is illegal. The company said it would use "geoblocking" to restrict Grok from fulfilling requests for such imagery in jurisdictions where the content was illegal.

The restrictions did not appear to apply to the stand-alone Grok app and website outside of X; Grok and X are both owned by xAI. X said in a statement that it remained "committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content." X did not respond to a request for comment.

The move follows global outrage and a wave of explicit A.I.-generated images on X. Regulators around the world have opened investigations into Grok, and some countries have banned the chatbot. Investigators in California said they were examining whether Grok had violated state laws, and Britain’s online safety regulator, Ofcom, opened an inquiry earlier in the week.

Ofcom called the new restrictions "a welcome development" but said its formal investigation remained ongoing. The regulator also has the power, if X is found to have broken British law and refuses to comply with requests for action, to seek a court order that could prevent payment providers and advertisers from working with X.

Key Topics

Tech, Grok, X, Xai, Elon Musk, Ofcom