“What a stupid solution.”: Internet reacts as X limits Grok Image tool to paid subscribers following sexualized deepfake backlash

After receiving backlash for being able to create deepfakes of women from users across the world, X's AI assistant, Grok, has created a set of limitations to the feature.

Sharing about the latest limitation on access to the feature, @PopCrave shared:

"X has limited Grok’s AI image generation tool to paid subscribers following backlash over it allowing people to generate sexualised deepfakes."

Pop Crave

@PopCrave

X has limited Grok’s AI image generation tool to paid subscribers following backlash over it allowing people to generate sexualised deepfakes.

However, the latest update on the AI chatbot has stirred mixed reactions from users. One user, seemingly unhappy, said,

"What a stupid solution."

Ronin

@RoninIgnis

@PopCrave What a stupid solution.

Grok has, in the past few weeks, been granting requests from users to generate or modify images. The requests or prompts are mostly around taking a random woman's image and have the AI tool remove the clothes or put them in sexually explicit positions. This has also been done to images of minors.

As this issue is being highlighted all across the world, the AI assistant came up with a solution. Now, when given such a demand, Grok sends a message,

"Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”

This move came after governments all across the world started fining and putting pressure on the billionaire entrepreneur, with countries like the UK threatening a potential ban on X in Britain, as reported by CBS News.

Internet users debate over Grok's decision

The lack of accountability and proper solutions to a major growing problem has caused an uproar on the internet. A section of users is upset as X has not removed this feature altogether from Grok.

One user stated,

"So instead of editing the ai feature to where NO ONE can abuse it they decided to make money off of it and influence weirdos to subscribe so they can continue to harass random people online by putting them in bikinis and maga hats. Got it."

To which a user retorted,

"It is literally impossible to limit it, their image generation clearly used a data set that included p*rn and NSFW content, even with the censors people everyday on forums are figuring out how to break it with the correct wording. The entire thing needs to be deleted."

Another expressed,

"So they turned it into a paid feature to be able to generate s*xual imagery of people. This is the bad place holy shit."

While one claimed,

"This doesn’t address the real elephant in the room that the underlying abuse vector has existed for months. It predictably exploded at consumer scale due to insufficient guardrails, weak enforcement, and incentives that rewarded misuse."

Another user voiced,

"About time! If it’s not for a good reason, we shouldn't be letting just anyone play with deepfakes. A little responsibility goes a long way—let’s keep things above board, eh?"

But the users are not the only people unhappy about this move, or lack thereof. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Greatest Hits radio,

“This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this.”

A Downing Street spokesperson of the UK stated,

"It’s insulting the victims of misogyny and s*xual violence.”

While the digital affairs spokesperson of the EU, Thomas Regnier, told reporters,

"This doesn’t change our fundamental issue, paid subscription or non-paid subscription. We don’t want to see such images. It’s as simple as that. What we’re asking platforms to do is to make sure that their design, that their systems do not allow the generation of such illegal content.”

Countries such as India, Malaysia, and France have also condemned Musk's platform.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback