Japan is reportedly launching a government probe into Grok after hearing reports that users could generate or edit sexualised images of real people.
The Japanese government is demanding immediate safeguards from X Corp, though officials say the company hasn’t yet responded, Reuters reported.
If X doesn’t fix the issue quickly, the body will consider legal measures, said economic security minister Kimi Onoda.
“We plan to promptly examine all possible options, including legal measures,” she said.
On Wednesday, xAI said it blocked edits of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, with the restriction applying to all users, including paid subscribers.
It has also restricted image generation based on user location in regions where such content is illegal, though the company has not specified which locations it has implemented this in.
Governments are increasingly treating AI generated sexual deepfakes as a public safety issue, with Onoda’s statements coming after several other governments recently raised concerns bout xAI.Earlier this week, Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said that it will initiate legal action against X and xAI over user-safety failures linked to Grok.
Over the weekend, Indonesia also temporarily blocked Grok, while French officials reported the social media firm to prosecutors and regulators.
This week, UK regulator Ofcom also opened a formal investigation into X under the Online Safety Act to assess whether the platform has complied with its legal duties to protect users in the UK from illegal content following reports that the Grok AI tool has been used to create sexual abuse materials of adults and children.
The regulator said it urgently contacted X on Monday 5 January and set a deadline of Friday 9 January for the company to explain its compliance steps, after “deeply concerning reports” of nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
