Global outrage erupts as X’s Grok used to morph images of women and children into explicit content

A disturbing trend involving the misuse of X’s artificial intelligence tool Grok has triggered global outrage, after users were found morphing photographs of women and children into sexually explicit and abusive images, raising renewed concerns over AI-enabled sexual violence.

The trend began a few days ago and intensified on New Year’s Eve, spreading rapidly across the platform, CNBC-TV18 reported. Users were seen issuing direct prompts to Grok to digitally manipulate ordinary photographs of women and children into explicit content, which was then circulated widely without consent, exposing victims to harassment, humiliation and psychological harm.

Women’s rights activists and users across multiple countries have since mounted intense pressure on X owner Elon Musk to urgently address the feature enabling such abuse. While X has reportedly hidden Grok’s media-generation feature, the misuse has continued, with morphed images still being created, shared and accessed on the platform.

The issue has now reached Indian users on X, prompting warnings from cyber-safety specialists and gender-rights advocates that the phenomenon goes far beyond online trolling. Experts have stated that AI-driven image morphing constitutes a form of sexual violence, particularly when women and children are involved, as it violates dignity, bodily autonomy and consent, and can inflict severe psychological trauma on victims whose images are weaponised without their knowledge.

Criticism of the platform has intensified as morphed images remain accessible despite partial restrictions, with several women users choosing to delete their photographs amid fears of misuse. Cyber-security expert Ritesh Bhatia told CNBC-TV18 that accountability lies with the platform and intermediary rather than with victims, stating that technology cannot be considered neutral when it enables harmful commands, and that the failure reflects flaws in design, governance and ethical oversight. He added that the creators of Grok need to take immediate corrective action.

On legal remedies, cyber-law expert Advocate Prashant Mali told CNBC-TV18 that the misuse should be viewed as AI-enabled sexual violence rather than mischief. He stated that victims have remedies under the Information Technology Act, 2000, including Sections 66E relating to violation of privacy and Sections 67 and 67A covering the publication or transmission of obscene or sexually explicit content, which apply to AI-generated morphed images even in the absence of a physical act.

Mali further stated that under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, provisions including Section 77 on voyeurism and allied sections on sexual harassment and dignity of women criminalise the creation and circulation of such material by recognising harm to autonomy rather than physical exposure alone. He informed that when the victim is a minor, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act is immediately triggered, with relevant sections treating AI-generated sexualised images as aggravated sexual exploitation regardless of their virtual nature, making punishment mandatory. He also pointed to the Intermediary Rules, which mandate rapid takedown and traceability.

He added that while the legal framework is robust on paper, the primary challenge lies in enforcement speed and digital forensics capacity, and stated that the defence of the content being generated by AI is unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny.

As demands for accountability grow louder, activists are calling for stricter controls on AI image-generation tools, faster takedown mechanisms and legal action against individuals generating and circulating abusive content. The controversy surrounding Grok has once again highlighted the darker side of generative AI and raised urgent questions about whether social media platforms are adequately equipped, or willing, to prevent technology from being used as a tool for sexual harm.