According to Silicon Republic, after users on X began prompting the Grok AI chatbot to nonconsensually ‘nudify’ people—including children—in images and videos, the platform has now limited that image editing ability to paid subscribers only. The feature was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI on December 24, and within weeks, users were sharing popular prompts like “Grok take off her dress” to generate sexualized content and deepfakes. This has prompted Ireland’s Minister of State for AI, Niamh Smyth, to request a meeting with X, while the national media watchdog, Coimisiún na Meán, is engaging with the European Commission and police. The watchdog emphasized that generating child sexual abuse material is illegal. This controversy unfolds as X already faces a potential fine of over $1 billion from the EU for potential Digital Services Act violations, with a fresh investigation launched last November.
A Paywall for Problems
So here’s X’s “solution”: put the problematic tool behind a subscription. On the surface, it seems like a bizarre move. It doesn’t remove the feature; it just says you have to pay for the privilege of potentially harassing someone. The logic, I guess, is that attaching a financial identity to the action creates a deterrent and a paper trail. But is that really enough? It feels more like monetizing a crisis than solving one. And let’s be honest, it probably will incentivize some awful people to subscribe, which is a grim thought. The fact that the tool remains freely accessible on Grok’s standalone website and app makes this X-specific restriction seem even more like a performative half-measure.
The Regulatory Fire is Burning
This is where it gets serious for X. The reaction from Irish authorities isn’t a minor slap on the wrist. When a national minister calls for a meeting and the media watchdog loops in the European Commission and the police, you know you’ve stepped in it. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) has very specific rules about systemic risks, and the easy generation of illegal deepfakes—especially of children—is a textbook example. X is already under a fresh DSA investigation and staring down that massive potential fine. Grok’s “Spicy” mode already pushed boundaries, but this image editing feature basically handed users a one-click harassment factory. You have to wonder, did anyone at xAI or X stop to think about the obvious, immediate abuse cases before flipping the switch on December 24?
Musk’s AI Paradox
Here’s the thing about Elon Musk‘s approach to AI with Grok. He constantly positions himself as a champion of “free speech” and less restrictive AI, railing against the “wokeness” of models from OpenAI or Google. But this episode shows the inevitable endpoint of that philosophy when applied to powerful, easy-to-use generative tools. The promotional glee around new features crashes directly into the reality of human behavior. It creates a paradox: to be truly “free,” the tool must allow awful uses, but allowing those uses immediately invites legal and regulatory annihilation, especially in places like the EU. So now they’re scrambling, putting up paywalls and hoping it counts as “risk management.” It’s a reactive mess that was entirely predictable.
What Happens Next?
Basically, the pressure is now squarely on X and xAI. Will they disable the image editing feature entirely? Or will they try to implement actual, technical guardrails that prevent the generation of nonconsensual intimate imagery? The paywall trick is a temporary, administrative fix that does nothing to address the core ethical and technical failure of the product. Meanwhile, regulators are watching closely. If X doesn’t take more substantive action, that looming billion-dollar EU fine might just materialize faster than anyone thinks. And it would be hard to argue they didn’t deserve it.
