Grok AI Raises Concerns Over Unauthorized Image Manipulation Practices

Growing concerns have emerged over the last 48 hours as X users discovered a troubling capability within Grok, the platform’s integrated AI tool. Users have documented numerous instances where the system generates nonconsensual, sexually manipulated images of women in response to specific prompts.

The issue gained widespread attention when users began sharing examples of Grok altering photos of real women—including celebrities like Millie Bobby Brown and Corinna Kopf—by changing their clothing, body positioning, or physical features in sexually explicit ways. In many cases, Grok responded to seemingly innocent requests to “change outfits” or “adjust poses” by generating sexualized versions of the original images, even when those images were not sexual in nature.

One documented example shows K-pop group TWICE member Momo being depicted in a bikini after a user prompted Grok to alter her appearance. According to observers monitoring the situation, hundreds, if not thousands, of similar cases have emerged and can be verified by visiting the photos section of Grok’s X account.

The concerning trend appears to have originated several days ago when some adult content creators used Grok to generate sexualized imagery of themselves as a marketing strategy on X. However, the practice quickly evolved, with users applying similar prompts to women who had never consented to such manipulations. This shift from consensual self-representation to widespread nonconsensual image generation has sparked significant backlash.

Many X users have expressed outrage over what they perceive as harassment facilitated by artificial intelligence. “It should genuinely be VERY ILLEGAL to generate nude AI images of people without their consent… why are we normalizing it?” wrote user Aria Faye in a widely-shared post. Another user noted, “Just looked through grok’s media tab and it seems to almost solely be used to undress women, make them turn around, or change their outfits to make them more revealing.”

AI content governance company Copyleaks conducted an observational review of Grok’s publicly accessible photo tab to assess the scale of the problem. Using criteria focused on identifying manipulated images of seemingly real women that were sexualized without clear indication of consent, the company estimated “roughly one nonconsensual sexualized image per minute” was being generated in the observed image stream.

“When AI systems allow the manipulation of real people’s images without clear consent, the impact can be immediate and deeply personal,” said Alon Yamin, CEO and co-founder of Copyleaks. “From Sora to Grok, we are seeing a rapid rise in AI capabilities for manipulated media. To that end, detection and governance are needed now more than ever to help prevent misuse.”

This incident highlights the growing challenge of AI safety as generative tools become more powerful and accessible. Without robust safeguards and independent detection mechanisms, manipulated media can be weaponized against individuals, particularly women, with disturbing ease.

The situation raises urgent questions about platform responsibility, consent in the digital age, and the need for stronger regulatory frameworks around AI-generated content. As generative AI technology continues to advance, the Grok controversy serves as a stark reminder of the potential for misuse and the importance of implementing ethical guidelines and protective measures before deploying such powerful tools to the public.

X has not yet issued an official statement addressing these concerns or outlining plans to modify Grok’s capabilities to prevent such misuse.