Despite promises to introduce restrictions against harmful sexualized deepfakes, **Elon Musk**'s **Grok Imagine** generative AI system continues to be implicated in the creation and hosting of nonconsensual explicit images and videos. A recent analysis of public creations revealed dozens of sexualized AI images and videos, some photorealistic and depicting plausible real-world scenarios, including celebrities and a politician. ### Persisting Issues and Public Sharing **WIRED** reviewed hundreds of public **Grok Imagine** links hosted on Grok.com, finding numerous instances of nonconsensual explicit content. Some of these links were subsequently shared on **X** (formerly Twitter), raising concerns about the platform's ability to control the dissemination of such material. While generations do not appear to be public by default, the discovered posts represent a snapshot of the potential misuse. ### Inadequate Safeguards Compared to Competitors Experts like **Henry Ajder**, a deepfake specialist, criticize **Grok**'s safety guardrails, stating they fall short compared to other mainstream generative AI tools. "While Grok and X may have made some amendments to their model... they still have not done a sufficient job to bring it up to the standard of the other mainstream tools that are available," Ajder commented. ### Legal Challenges and Regulatory Scrutiny **xAI** has faced a wave of lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny since January, when **Grok**'s integration on **X** led to a flood of "nudification" images. These instances allegedly included the sexualization of images of apparent minors, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in California. Despite **xAI**'s claims of implementing safeguards and banning child sexual abuse material (**CSAM**), the issues persist. Following inquiries from **WIRED**, some explicit images and videos on Grok.com were removed, and **Grok Imagine** links shared on **X** were taken down for policy violations. **X**'s safety account reiterated, "We strictly prohibit users from generating nonconsensual explicit deepfakes and from using our tools to undress real people." ### Disturbing Content and Circumvention Tactics Among the content identified, images and videos depicted celebrities and US Representative **Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez** in sexually suggestive and nonconsensual scenarios. Prompts used to generate some of this material were rejected by competitors like **OpenAI**'s **ChatGPT**, **Meta AI**, and **Anthropic**'s **Claude** for being inappropriate. While **Google**'s **Gemini** created one similar image, it rejected another prompt. Notably, a **Grok Imagine** video, also posted to **X**, appeared to depict **Ashley St. Clair**, a former partner of **Musk** and mother to one of his children, dancing in a bikini. St. Clair initiated legal action against **xAI** in January after similar deepfakes allegedly appeared on **X**. **Carrie Goldberg**, St. Clair's attorney, highlighted the unprecedented nature of instant publication of digital nude images via AI. **Imran Ahmed**, CEO of the **Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)**, echoed these concerns, claiming that **Elon Musk** "knowingly added a perverse feature to his platform that helps users undress women and children at the click of a button." ### "Spicy" and "Unhinged" Modes Under Fire Unlike other generative AI systems, **Grok** and **xAI** have not shied away from allowing sexual content, having previously introduced "Spicy" and "Unhinged" modes. **Musk** has stated that **Grok** is "supposed [to] allow upper body nudity of imaginary adult humans" and be consistent with R-rated movie content. The latest **xAI** terms of service mention that the system may respond with "sexual situations," yet simultaneously prohibit users from "causing harm or engaging in abusive activity." Researchers indicate that while changes introduced by **X** and **Grok** have made it harder to create "nudification" images of real people, users are employing roundabout descriptions in prompts to circumvent safeguards, leading to the creation of explicit, entirely AI-generated content. ### Financial and Regulatory Consequences Ahead of **SpaceX**'s IPO, the company has warned potential investors, setting aside $530 million to address ongoing legal complaints, including those linked to **Grok**. A filing in May acknowledged the "heightened risks, including reputational harm, the generation of potentially explicit content and misinformation or deceptive outputs, potential nonconsensual or exploitative imagery." Furthermore, the **Privacy Commissioner of Canada** recently published preliminary findings from an investigation into **xAI** and **Grok**'s deepfake transgressions. The investigation alleges that **xAI** violated Canada's federal private-sector privacy law by failing to implement "appropriate safeguards from the outset." While **xAI** claims to have introduced new safeguards, the ongoing issues suggest a significant gap between policy and practice.