the apps of Grok other AI tools Courtesy of Anna Barclay/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Grok, the AI chatbot created by xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by and majority-owned by Elon Musk, has switched off its image creation and editing function for most users after an uproar over sexualized and violent imagery created with it. "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers," Grok replied to users of Musk's X attempting to create images on Friday. The restriction comes amid threats of fines or even an outright ban on X in the U.K. Keir Starmer, the U.K. Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, urged X mid-week to "get a grip" of a flood of AI-manipulated photos on the social platform that removed clothing or of women and children or put them in sexualized positions, decrying them as "disgraceful" and "disgusting." In what was seen as a threat of a possible X ban, he emphasized that U.K. communications regulator Ofcom "has our full support to take action in relation to this." Related Stories Movies BAFTA Film Awards 2026: 'One Battle After Another' Leads Longlists, Ahead of 'Hamnet' and 'Sinners' Movies 'Rental Family' Producers Learned a New Way of Making Movies in Tokyo The Guardian reported that its research found that Grok had been used to "create pornographic videos of women without their consent, as well as images of women being shot and killed." The U.K.'s Online Safety Act gives Ofcom the power to seek court orders to block websites or apps in the country in serious cases. The regulator can also impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company's global revenue. A year ago, Starmer's government vowed to make "creating sexually explicit deepfake images a criminal offense" to crack down on "vile online abuse." Highlighted the government: "The proliferation of these hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target. To tackle this, the government will introduce a new offense, meaning perpetrators could be charged for both creating and sharing these images, not only marking a crackdown on this abhorrent behavior but making it clear there is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent." THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Black Bear Black Bear Taps Katie Anderson to Bolster Film Acquisitions Tim Cook Apple CEO Tim Cook's Pay Falls Slightly to $74.3 Million in 2025 THR, Esq Justice Dept. Starts Review of Paramount Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Disney Jimmy Zasowski Upped to President of Platform Distribution for Disney Entertainment and ESPN Seven Letter Hollywood PR Veteran Brandon Shaw Joins Firm to Launch L.A. Office Heat Vision How the Sphere Morphed Into an Interactive Lego Death Star Black Bear Black Bear Taps Katie Anderson to Bolster Film Acquisitions Tim Cook Apple CEO Tim Cook's Pay Falls Slightly to $74.3 Million in 2025 THR, Esq Justice Dept. Starts Review of Paramount Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Disney Jimmy Zasowski Upped to President of Platform Distribution for Disney Entertainment and ESPN Seven Letter Hollywood PR Veteran Brandon Shaw Joins Firm to Launch L.A. Office Heat Vision How the Sphere Morphed Into an Interactive Lego Death Star