It comes after government urged Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including an effective ban – against X.
Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScienceArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveElon Musk's Grok AI image editing limited to paid X users after deepfakes36 minutes agoShareSaveLiv McMahonandLaura Cress,Technology reportersShareSaveGetty ImagesElon Musk's platform X has limited image editing with its AI tool Grok to paying users, after it came under fire for allowing people to make sexualised deepfakes.
There has been a significant backlash after the chatbot honoured requests from users to digitally alter images of other people by undressing them without their consent.
But Grok is now telling people asking it to make such material that only paid subscribers would be able to do so - meaning their name and payment information must be on file.
Those who do not subscribe can still use Grok to edit images on its separate app and website.
"Musk has thrown his toys out of the pram in protest at being held to account for the tsunami of abuse," said Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence and online abuse.
"Instead of taking the responsible steps to ensure Grok could not be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the vast majority of users."
And Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, said it "does not undo the harm which has been done".
"We do not believe it is good enough to simply limit access to a tool which should never have had the capacity to create the kind of imagery we have seen in recent days," she said.,
The charity previously said its analysts had discovered "criminal imagery" of girls aged between 11 and 13 which "appeared to have been created" using Grok.
"Sitting and waiting for unsafe products to be abused before taking action is unacceptable," Swirsky said.
It comes after the government urged regulator Ofcom to use all its powers – up to and including an effective ban – against X over concerns about unlawful AI images created on the site.
Addressing concerns that sexualised images of adults and children had been generated by Grok, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was "disgraceful" and "disgusting".
He said Ofcom had the government's "full support" to act on the content.
&qu