Image editing on X’s Grok AI tool has been limited to paid subscribers, according to a message displayed by the chatbot.
Users were able to upload a picture and ask Grok to alter the image, but the AI system now replies to requests with this message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”
If the change has been limited to X subscribers, it would mean the company would have the name and payment details of those using the function on file.
It comes after the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warned criminals used Grok to create child sexual abuse imagery.
“Following reports that the AI chatbot Grok has generated sexual imagery of children, we can confirm our analysts have discovered criminal imagery of children aged between 11 and 13 which appears to have been created using the tool,” said Ngaire Alexander, head of hotline at the IWF.
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X and xAI, both owned by billionaire Elon Musk, have come under fire in recent days after numerous users, mainly women, posted saying they had seen AI-generated sexual images of themselves on X.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called said it was “disgraceful” and “disgusting”.
He told X to “get their act together” and “get a grip on this”.
On Wednesday, Musk said a new version of Grok had been released and urged users to update their app, although it was not immediately clear what updates the new version contained.
The tech tycoon has previously insisted “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content”.
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X has said it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, “by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary”.
Sky News has contacted X for comment.
