Elon Musk Calls Outcry Over Grok AI Deepfake Images “Excuse for Censorship”

_{Photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com} 

Elon Musk has described the UK’s criticism of xAI’s artificial intelligence tool Grok as looking for “any excuse for censorship” amid mounting global backlash over sexual deepfake images generated by the chatbot.

The comments come as authorities around the world raise concerns over the use of the AI tool, following reports that it has been misused to create sexualized images of real women and children.

Musk, the owner of xAI, shared a post on X criticising the UK government for focusing on Grok while many other apps have been misused for similar purposes. Musk also insisted that users who produced illegal content would face the same consequences as if they had uploaded it themselves. 

In the UK, media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into X over allegedly sexualized deepfake images, including material that could breach child protection and online safety laws. If X fails to comply with UK laws, it could be blocked in the country.

Concerns over the abuse of deepfakes have led to similar responses around the world. Malaysia and Indonesia, for example, have temporarily blocked access to Grok, with Indonesia’s minister of communications and digital affairs, Meutya Hafid, saying:  

The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the security of citizens in the digital space.

Grok’s image editing feature appears to have since been limited to paying subscribers. Critics argue that paywalling Grok’s image generation capabilities does not address the core problem, with demands for stronger content moderation and legal accountability.