Goodbye to this controversial Grok tool: After complaints from many users on X, it will lose one of its most viral features

The storm surrounding Grok - the AI chatbot integrated into X and developed by Elon Musk’s company - just took a significant twist. One of its most viral features, image generation and editing, will no longer be available for free to most users. The decision, quietly rolled out in recent days, comes in response to mounting pressure over apparent misuse of the tool.

Until recently, anyone with an account could ask Grok to create or modify images directly within X. That accessibility was a key driver of its rapid growth, as millions of users experimented with text and photos, weaving the feature into their daily browsing routine. But what began as a fun extension of the assistant quickly turned into a source of alarm and backlash.

The controversy ignited when reports surfaced that Grok was generating sexualized images and non-consensual deepfakes - some allegedly involving minors or women without their consent. AI experts and digital rights advocates warned of the dangers posed by a tool that could enable the creation and spread of manipulated intimate content, raising profound ethical and legal concerns.

How have Musk and X responded to contoversy?

X’s response was to restrict access to these features exclusively to paying subscribers who can provide verification and subscription data, turning what was once free into a paid privilege. “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” Musk stated in a post on X addressing the update.

However, even this move has sparked more criticism than praise. Users and analysts argue that putting the feature behind a paywall doesn’t solve the underlying problem: the AI’s ability to generate harmful material. Several governments and regulatory bodies - including those in the European Union and the United Kingdom - have labeled some of the images produced as illegally explicit and repugnant, announcing investigations and warning of harsher measures if real safeguards aren’t implemented.

For many users who embraced image editing as a creative facet of Grok, the decision feels like a step backward. “The idea was for an AI assistant to be an extension of digital creativity, not something that ends up generating content nobody asked for or wants to see,” said a multimedia content creator on X, speaking on condition of anonymity. Others voiced frustration over what they see as X’s failure to prevent offensive material from going viral.

Meanwhile, the company insists that limiting these features is a step toward a more responsible approach aligned with international regulations. Still, the backlash against Grok and X shows no signs of easing, with temporary bans in some countries and legal warnings that could further complicate the tool’s presence in the global digital ecosystem.

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