X says Grok, Musk's AI chatbot, is blocked from undressing images in places where it's illegal

BANGKOK — Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok won't be able to edit photos to portray real people in revealing clothing in places where that is illegal, according to a statement posted on X.

The announcement late Wednesday followed a global backlash over sexualized images of women and children, including bans and warnings by some governments.

The pushback included an investigation announced Wednesday by the state of California into the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok.

Initially, media queries about the problem drew only the response, ''legacy media lies.''

Musk's company, xAI, now says it will geoblock content if it violates laws in a particular place.

''We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, underwear and other revealing attire,'' it said.

The rule applies to all users, including paid subscribers, who have access to more features.

Grok's ''spicy mode'' had allowed users to create explicit content, leading to a backlash from governments worldwide.

Malaysia and Indonesia took legal action and blocked access to Grok. The U.K. and European Union were investigating potential violations of online safety laws. France and India have also issued warnings, demanding stricter controls. Brazil called for an investigation into Grok's misuse.

The Grok editing functions were ''facilitating the large-scale production of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images that are being used to harass women and girls across the internet, including via the social media platform X,'' California's announcement said.

''The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking. This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet," it cited the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta as saying.