Brazilian authorities have directed Elon Musk’s social media platform X to immediately stop its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, from producing sexually explicit content, amid growing global scrutiny of the tool.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD), the National Consumer Rights Bureau (Senacon), and the Federal Prosecution Service ordered X to “immediately implement appropriate measures to prevent the production, using Grok, of sexualized or eroticized content of children and adolescents, as well as adults who have not given their consent.” The agencies gave the company five days to comply or face potential legal action and fines.
The move comes as international concern mounts over Grok’s ability to generate sexualized deepfake images through simple text prompts. Indonesia banned the chatbot last month, while authorities in the U.K. and France have pledged to continue pressuring X and its AI company, xAI, to address the issue.
Brazilian regulators noted that X had previously claimed to have deleted thousands of posts and suspended hundreds of accounts after an earlier warning. However, follow-up checks showed users were still able to create sexualized deepfakes using Grok, prompting criticism of the company’s lack of transparency.
On January 15, X introduced safeguards intended to prevent Grok from digitally altering images of real people in jurisdictions where such actions are illegal. It remains unclear in which countries these measures have been fully enforced.
The pressure on xAI escalated after Grok’s “Spicy Mode” feature allowed users to generate explicit AI-manipulated images of women and children using prompts such as removing clothing or altering attire. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) estimated that Grok produced millions of sexualized images within days of the feature’s release, further fueling calls for stricter oversight.
