January 9, 2026
Paywalling outrage
Grok turns off image generator for most after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Community roasts the paywall “fix” as UK threatens bans and mega-fines
TLDR: Grok disabled image creation for most users after a storm over abuse, with UK regulators threatening fines and even a ban. Commenters blasted the move as a “paywall fix,” calling it late, weak, and risky, while some warned bigger penalties are coming if X doesn’t shut it down.
The internet lit up after Grok, Elon Musk’s AI on X, flipped off image generation for most users amid an outcry over sexually explicit and violent fakes. Musk acted after threats of fines and even a possible UK ban under the Online Safety Act. But the community says the fix is… “paywalling the problem.” One top comment snarked: “Now only paying users can make CSAM (child sexual abuse material). Super cool.” Critics blasted the delay — “weak response” and “should’ve happened within hours” — while some defended Musk’s free-speech dream but called it “noble idea, horrendous execution.”
Fuel on the fire: reports that a separate Grok app still lets non-paying users quietly generate sexualized content, and research from NGOs found hundreds of pornographic and violent AI clips. UK prime minister Keir Starmer demanded action, Ofcom could levy giant fines or block X, and commenters joked the EU is already composing its next mega-fine.
The mood: outrage, dark humor, and memes about a “pay-to-abuse” loophole. Others worry regulators will swing a ban-hammer, turning X into a cautionary tale. Drama continues as users ask the obvious: if you can identify abusers via credit cards, why not shut it all down?
Key Points
- •Grok restricted image generation and editing to paying X subscribers following outcry over sexualized and violent AI imagery.
- •X faces potential fines, regulatory action, and a possible UK ban, with Ofcom empowered under the Online Safety Act.
- •Public Grok image features were heavily limited, but a separate Grok app reportedly still allows non-paying users to generate sexualized content.
- •The Guardian and AI Forensics reported extensive misuse, with AI Forensics finding about 800 pornographic and sexually violent items from Grok Imagine.
- •Critics, including Labour MP Jess Asato, argue paywalling is insufficient and call for disabling the feature entirely.