Three Democratic senators are urging Apple and Google to remove the X app and its AI chatbot Grok from their stores. They cited the spread of nonconsensual sexual images of women and minors on the platform.
Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, and Edward Markey of Massachusetts wrote a letter on Friday. They said that Apple and Google “must remove these apps until X addresses its policy violations.”
AI Chatbot Generating Sexualized Content
X, owned by Elon Musk, has faced criticism since last week. Grok, its AI chatbot, began generating images of women and children in revealing bikinis, see-through underwear, or degrading sexualized poses.
The senators pointed out that Google’s rules forbid apps from hosting content that exploits or abuses children. Similarly, Apple prohibits the display of sexual or pornographic material. They added that both companies have acted quickly in the past against apps that violate their policies. “Ignoring X’s behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” the letter said.
Responses from X and Musk
Google and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. X referred Reuters to a January 2 post claiming it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material.
Musk, meanwhile, responded to AI-generated sexual images of public figures with laughing emojis. He blamed users for illegal content, stating that anyone creating such material would face the same consequences as uploading illegal content themselves.
Partial Restrictions Introduced
Under pressure, Musk’s company, xAI, which runs Grok, added some limits. Public requests to digitally remove clothing were restricted to paying subscribers. However, users could still generate sexualized images via the Grok tab and post them to X. The standalone Grok app also continued to allow image generation without a subscription.
Senator Wyden criticized the changes, saying that they only make some users pay to produce horrific images while Musk profits from the abuse of children.
