Elon Musk's artificial intelligence firm has limited access to Grok's contentious image-generation capability exclusively to paid subscribers on X. This decision followed widespread international condemnation after the tool enabled the creation of sexualized and nude depictions of women and children.

In responses to users on Friday, Grok confirmed that only paying X subscribers would retain the ability to generate and edit images through the platform. It is important to note that these restrictions currently do not extend to the standalone Grok application, which, as of the latest reports, continues to allow image generation without requiring a subscription.

Originally accessible to all users with daily usage limits, Grok's image feature permitted individuals to upload any photograph and request edits, including the generation of sexualized or nude versions. This led to a widespread proliferation of non-consensual, sexually explicit imagery featuring children, celebrities, models, and public figures, sparking outrage from numerous countries.

Both X and Musk have publicly condemned the misuse of the tool for creating such material, affirming the platform's commitment to enforcing policies against illegal content. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk stated in a tweet last week.

Governments have taken formal action in response. The United Kingdom, the European Union, and India have all issued public rebukes against X and Grok for permitting this abuse of the technology. Specifically, the EU requested on Thursday that xAI preserve all documentation related to the chatbot. Meanwhile, India's communications ministry directed X last week to implement immediate modifications to prevent further misuse of the image-generation features, warning of potential loss of legal protections in the country. The U.K.'s communications regulator also confirmed it has been engaged with xAI regarding the issue.