Grok AI Deepfake Crisis: Actions, Bans & Responses

UPDATED (January 26, 2026)

SUMMARY Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot has sparked a global crisis by generating thousands of nonconsensual sexual deepfake images of women and minors. Indonesia and Malaysia initially banned it, while California and the UK launched investigations. The Senate passed legislation giving victims the right to sue. On January 16, 2026, X implemented sweeping new restrictions on Grok, barring it from generating or editing images of real individuals into revealing clothing. Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk’s children, filed a lawsuit against xAI on January 15, 2026, marking a major escalation in the crisis. On January 26, 2026, the European Union opened a formal investigation into whether X violated the Digital Services Act.

The Crisis

Musk introduced Grok’s “Spicy Mode” for generating adult content last summer, then rolled out an image editing feature in December 2025 which led to the current crisis. Users discovered they could tag Grok in posts to request image generation and editing, asking it to “put her in a bikini” or “take her clothes off” and receiving photorealistic altered images in response.

The scale is staggering. Analysis of over 20,000 Grok-generated images found that more than half depicted individuals in minimal attire with two percent appearing to be under 18. At its peak on Wednesday, Grok was producing 7,751 sexualized images in a single hour, up 16.4% from Monday.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimated that between December 29, 2025 and January 9, 2026, Grok generated approximately 3 million sexualized images, around 23,000 of which involved children.

Personal Stories

Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk’s children, told NBC News that Grok produced countless explicit images of her including some based on photos from when she was 14. She described seeing herself “undressed, bent over and then my toddler’s backpack in the background” as particularly distressing.

High-profile victims now include Japan’s Princess Kako, whose manipulated images in a bikini went viral on X just days ago.

Ashley St. Clair Files Lawsuit

On January 15, 2026, Ashley St. Clair filed a lawsuit against xAI in New York State Superior Court, alleging that Grok generated and distributed “countless sexually abusive, intimate, and degrading deepfake content” of her. The lawsuit claims xAI’s chatbot “uses AI to undress, humiliate, and sexually exploit victims” and created images depicting her both as a child and as an adult.

St. Clair’s lawsuit alleges that even after she notified xAI and received assurances that her images would “not be used or altered without explicit consent in any future generations or responses,” the company continued to allow users to create explicit AI-generated images of her. She claims xAI retaliated by demonetizing her X account while allowing more images to proliferate.

Her attorney Carrie Goldberg stated: “xAI is not a reasonably safe product and is a public nuisance. Nobody has born the brunt more than Ashley St. Clair.” The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and an emergency restraining order to prevent Grok from creating further digitally altered sexual imagery.

In response, xAI counter-sued St. Clair in Texas federal court on Thursday, January 16, 2026, seeking over $75,000 in damages and claiming she violated xAI’s terms of service by filing in New York instead of Texas.

Global Government Response

Indonesia blocked Grok on Saturday, January 11, becoming the first country to do so, followed by Malaysia on Sunday. Malaysia lifted the ban on January 23, 2026 after X implemented safety measures, though authorities said Grok remains subject to continuous monitoring. India removed 3,500 posts and 600 accounts in response to government complaints.

The UK’s Ofcom launched a formal investigation on January 12, 2026, calling it a “matter of the highest priority” and warning X could face a ban or fines up to 10% of global revenue. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament the images were “disgusting” and “unlawful,” demanding X “get a grip” on the application. Business Secretary Peter Kyle confirmed the UK has the power to ban Grok if necessary. The UK government also accelerated provisions of the Digital Use of Artificial Intelligence Act to make it illegal for AI image generating services to create nonconsensual intimate images of adults, with the rule taking effect February 6, 2026.

EU Opens Formal Investigation: On January 26, 2026, the European Commission opened a formal investigation into X to determine whether Grok has met its legal obligations under the Digital Services Act. EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated that “non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation” and that the rights of women and children should not be “collateral damage” of X’s services. The investigation covers only Grok’s service on X, not the standalone app, and could result in either X pledging to change its behavior or a hefty fine. In December 2025, Brussels issued X a €120 million fine as part of an earlier DSA investigation.

The European Commission had ordered X to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026. France’s commissioner for children referred Grok’s generated images to French prosecutors, the media regulator and the EU.

Canada’s privacy watchdog expanded its investigation to include xAI in January 2026, examining consent practices around deepfake capabilities on top of an existing probe into X’s AI training data practices.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission launched a preliminary fact-finding review into Grok on January 25, 2026, following reports of the chatbot generating sexually exploitative deepfake images. South Korea’s Media and Communications Commission demanded on January 14 that X submit a plan to prevent generation of illegal content and limit minors’ access, setting a two-week deadline.

US Government Takes Action

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday that his office is investigating xAI over what he called the “large-scale production of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images.” California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X calling xAI’s decision to “create and host a breeding ground for predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is vile.”

The Senate passed the bipartisan DEFIANCE Act on January 13, 2026, by unanimous consent. The bill would create a federal civil right of action allowing people who are victims of intimate digital forgeries to sue for a minimum of $150,000 per violation. The legislation now moves to the House, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has pledged to shepherd it through. Three Democratic senators have also called on Apple and Google to remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores until the company can prevent easy creation of nonconsensual explicit images.

Musk’s Response

Musk’s initial reaction was dismissive and defiant. On December 31, Musk replied to a Grok-made image of a man in a bikini by posting “Change this to Elon Musk,” and when Grok delivered he responded “Perfect.” On January 2 when someone mentioned the controversy, Musk replied “Way funnier” with a laugh-crying emoji.

Musk posted that critics “just want to suppress free speech” and made light of the controversy by resharing to his 232 million followers a post featuring a toaster wrapped in a bikini with laughing emojis.

On Wednesday, January 15, 2026, Musk finally addressed the controversy more directly, claiming he wasn’t aware of “any naked underage images generated by Grok” and that the chatbot would “refuse to produce anything illegal, as the operating principle for Grok is to obey the laws of any given country or state.” He appeared to blame “adversarial hacking” for Grok’s generation of sexualized images. Musk has also accused the UK government of being fascist and trying to curb free speech.

Company’s Evolving Response

By January 9, Grok began restricting image generation and editing to paying subscribers. However, users could still use AI to remove clothing from images on the Grok standalone app, website and X tab, neither requiring a paid account. Critics called this an attempt to profit from abuse.

On January 15, xAI announced slightly more stringent limits. Grok’s public X account would “no longer allow the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing, for example putting them in bikinis or lingerie,” according to an X spokesperson. However, Premium X subscribers were initially still able to engage Grok’s X account to edit or produce such explicit images.

Major Policy Shift (January 16, 2026): In a dramatic reversal, effective January 16, 2026, X implemented sweeping restrictions on Grok AI, technically barring it from generating or editing images of real individuals into revealing clothing or sexualized contexts for all users, including paid subscribers. This marks what analysts are calling “the end of the unfiltered era” for Grok, following intense global pressure and the Ashley St. Clair lawsuit. The platform has also begun implementing geoblocking to comply with strict laws in Southeast Asian and European nations.

Pentagon Adoption Amid Crisis

In a shocking turn, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that Grok will be integrated into the Pentagon’s network alongside Google’s AI, with plans to have leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout the department. This announcement came just days after the global outcry began.

What’s Next?

The situation remains in flux with pressure mounting from multiple directions. Legal experts suggest potential outcomes include total bans in more countries, partial restrictions, legal action on behalf of affected citizens and substantial fines.

The DEFIANCE Act’s passage in the Senate represents a significant step toward giving victims legal recourse, though it still requires House approval. Sexual Violence Prevention Association President Omny Miranda Martone said the outcry over Grok is adding pressure because the TAKE IT DOWN Act signed in May 2025 “is not doing enough to cover this.” That law only concerns images that have been made public and wouldn’t cover content shared in direct messages or emails.

The Ashley St. Clair lawsuit may set an important precedent for individual accountability, even as the legal battle over jurisdiction continues between New York and Texas courts.

The crisis represents what many see as a fundamental failure of corporate responsibility, with cybersecurity experts suggesting xAI prioritized neither safety nor consent in building Grok. The sweeping restrictions implemented on January 16, 2026, are being watched closely to determine if they effectively prevent the abuse or if users will find ways to circumvent the new controls. Nonprofit AI Forensics has already found that users can bypass Grok’s restrictions and still create nude images in some circumstances.

The EU’s formal investigation, opened January 26, 2026, represents a significant escalation in regulatory action that could result in substantial fines or operational changes for X in Europe.