Grok image generation and sexualized images of women and minors: regulatory investigations (Dec. 2025 onward) Case Beginning in late December 2025, xAI's Grok chatbot was widely used on X to digitally undress people in photos, including images that appeared to depict minors. California's attorney general, the UK's Ofcom and ICO, the European Commission and French prosecutors opened investigations, and Indonesia and Malaysia blocked Grok. xAI restricted the feature in January 2026, and private lawsuits are now pending in California. As of the sources reviewed (through early October 2026) no investigation had reported a finding, and nothing reviewed shows Musk personally created or distributed such images. What happened Since late December 2025, X users increasingly prompted Grok to alter pictures that people posted of themselves; Bloomberg reported X had become a top site for non-consensually undressed images. In a 24-hour analysis of Jan. 5-6, 2026, researcher Genevieve Oh found the @Grok account generated about 6,700 images per hour identified as sexually suggestive or nudifying, against an average of 79 per hour across the other top five sites. The count covers sexualized images of people generally, not minors specifically. Grok's account apologized for generating an image of two young girls, estimated ages 12 to 16, in sexualized attire on Dec. 28, 2025. California's attorney general said xAI built Grok's image models with what the company calls a "spicy mode" that generates explicit content. Regulatory and political response On Jan. 14, 2026 California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an investigation into xAI over the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced with Grok, saying he has zero tolerance for AI-generated child sexual abuse material; Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly called for the investigation. Bonta later sent xAI a cease-and-desist letter demanding it halt the creation of illegal deepfake sexual images and child sexual abuse material. In January 2026 Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X, and on Jan. 26 the European Commission opened a formal Digital Services Act investigation into Grok on X, with no timeline for completion or indication of what action it might take. On Feb. 3, 2026 Axios reported that French prosecutors searched X's offices and summoned Musk in a Grok deepfake investigation. The UK Information Commissioner's Office announced a probe into X and xAI on Feb. 3; Ofcom said it was not investigating xAI itself at that time but was examining whether to. Indonesia and Malaysia blocked Grok, and three U.S. senators asked Apple and Google to remove the Grok and X apps from their app stores. According to a secondary legal tracker, 35 state and territory attorneys general from both parties signed a joint letter to xAI in January 2026. Private lawsuits (per a secondary tracker; dockets not checked) A class action filed Jan. 23, 2026 by four plaintiffs says fake sexual images of them were made and spread; on Sept. 28, 2026 the judge denied two larger requests xAI had made, and the case stays in California. Three children sued in federal court in California in March 2026 (complaint amended July 7), saying their school and family photos were turned into illegal sexual images; the complaint says the man responsible used an outside app built on xAI's model, not Grok itself. xAI's response and Musk's statements xAI first limited image generation and editing to paying subscribers, then said on Jan. 14 that technical measures now block editing images of real people into revealing clothing and that it geoblocks such images where they are illegal. Musk said he was not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok and that Grok produces images only when users ask; he also wrote that anyone using Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it, and xAI's terms prohibit sexualizing or exploiting children. Perspectives Defender — Elon Musk and xAI Musk says he is not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok and that the tool only produces images when users ask for them, placing responsibility on the people who prompt it. xAI says it has added technical restrictions on editing real people's images into revealing clothing and blocks such images by location where they are illegal. Critic — California officials and regulators Officials say xAI's platform enabled the spread of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children. Bonta called the activity shocking, Newsom called the platform a breeding ground for predators, and regulators are examining whether xAI's safeguards were adequate or came too late. Research notes Verified Oct. 10, 2026: the 6,700-per-hour figure comes from Bloomberg's Jan. 7 report of a 24-hour analysis (Jan. 5-6) by researcher Genevieve Oh; it counts sexually suggestive or nudifying images of people generally, not images of minors specifically. Open leads: pull the court dockets behind the class action and the Tennessee minors' suit (the status above is from a secondary tracker); look for any findings or fines from the EU, Ofcom, ICO, French or California probes; check the current state of xAI's safeguards; confirm the Tennessee complaint's allegation that the images were made through an outside app built on xAI's model. Do not state that Musk personally created or distributed illegal imagery without a primary source. Note Musk said he was not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok and that users, not Grok, are responsible for illegal content they request; xAI says it has added restrictions. No regulator had reported findings in the sources reviewed. Sources [1] Insurance Journal: Musk's xAI faces California AG probe over Grok sexual images (https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/01/15/854280.htm) · 2026-01-15 [2] Malwarebytes: Regulators around the world are scrutinizing Grok over sexual deepfakes (https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/01/regulators-around-the-world-are-scrutinizing-grok-over-sexual-deepfakes) · 2026-01-12 [3] Business Today: xAI enters regulatory storm over Grok image abuse (https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/technology/news/story/elon-musks-ai-startup-xai-enters-regulatory-storm-over-grok-image-abuse-511085-2026-01-15) · 2026-01-15 [4] Radio X: Grok faces ICO probe after allegedly creating sexual imagery of children (https://www.radiox.co.uk/news/uk-world/elon-musks-ai-bot-faces-probe-after-allegedly) · 2026-02-03 [5] Implicator.ai: Grok generated 6,700 nudifying images per hour (https://www.implicator.ai/grok-generated-6-700-nudifying-images-per-hour-musk-says-he-saw-literally-zero/) [6] Bloomberg: Musk's Grok AI Generated Thousands of Undressed Images Per Hour on X (https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/musks-grok-ai-generated-thousands-of-undressed-images-per-hour) · 2026-01-07 [7] California Attorney General: Bonta launches investigation into xAI, Grok over undressed, sexual AI images of women and children (https://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-launches-investigation-xai-grok-over-undressed-sexual-ai) · 2026-01-14 [8] CNN: Europe opens major probe into Elon Musk's X after outcry over sexualized images (https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/tech/eu-probe-grok-sexualized-images-intl) · 2026-01-26 [9] Axios: Elon Musk summoned by French prosecutors in Grok deepfake investigation (https://www.axios.com/2026/02/03/musk-grok-deepfakes-paris-prosecutors-x-search) · 2026-02-03 [10] RPC: Online safety regulators investigate X over Grok AI chatbot images (https://www.rpclegal.com/snapshots/technology-digital/spring-2026/online-safety-regulators-investigate-x-over-grok-ai-chatbot-images/) · 2026-03 [11] Lawsuit Informer: Grok and xAI lawsuits (updated Oct. 4, 2026) (https://lawsuitinformer.com/grok-lawsuits) · 2026-10-04 Connections Related — America.gov launch and the 'Super Intelligence' AI rename (Sept. 2026) That entry reports America.gov's launch chatbot drew on Gemini and Grok, tying the government to the same xAI product. Same actor — Elon Musk: 2024 political spending, DOGE role and ties to the Trump administration xAI and X are Musk-owned companies; the entry covers the product, not personal conduct by Musk.