Grok Imagine, a new AI video tool from Elon Musk’s xAI, is facing intense criticism for a Spicy mode that can produce non-consensual deepfake clips of celebrities. Numerous reports reveal that the feature, which turns text prompts into short, photorealistic clips, can produce nude or suggestive content featuring stars like Taylor Swift and Timothée Chalamet.
Unlike rival platforms with built-in safeguards, Grok Imagine debuted with limited moderation controls and has already gone viral.
Millions of clips generated in hours
Within two days of Grok Imagine’s rollout, it racked up more than 34 million AI image generations, according to Musk. The tool — available to iOS users through xAI’s $30 SuperGrok subscription — allows users to create AI-generated images and quickly convert them into short video clips.
Musk described the release as an early beta “optimized for maximum fun” and designed for speed and simplicity, with a public launch expected in October. For now, only select users can access it, with others able to join a waitlist via the Grok app.
Blurred lines and bare skin
Grok Imagine offers four video presets: Custom, Normal, Fun, and Spicy. While these models apply different visual effects, Spicy mode stood out for its ability to generate highly realistic sexual content without explicit requests.
For example, The Verge reported that a prompt involving “Taylor Swift celebrating Coachella with the boys” resulted in dozens of suggestive deepfake images, one of which was easily turned into a topless video of the singer dancing in a thong. No warning or moderation intervened during the process.
In testing by Deadline, the prompt “Scarlett Johansson walks the red carpet” depicted the actress lifting her dress to reveal her underwear, though sometimes yielded blocked results. Johansson has voiced her opposition to AI exploitation.
Equal prompts, unequal exposure
Gizmodo’s review of the AI tool found a consistent bias in how the controversial mode handled gender. Prompts involving women frequently produced topless or fully nude visuals, even without explicit direction. Public figures such as Melania Trump and Martha Washington were depicted in revealing or nude portrayals, while male subjects like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Barack Obama were shown only in a mild state of undress.
The disparity persisted even when prompts were identical, with male celebrities like Chalamet appearing in relatively tame scenarios such as removing a shirt compared to female counterparts who were rendered nude or topless.
Maximum fun with minimum guardrails?
The recent backlash over Grok Imagine is just the latest xAI flare-up. Its Grok chatbot has already drawn fire for spitting out antisemitic content, hate speech, and off-topic references to white genocide.
With controversy after controversy, it’s inevitable to ask what the AI company is actually doing about it.
Grok Imagine may be optimized for maximum fun, but fabricating nude videos and offensive narratives pushes that fun into dangerous territory. Especially as we’ve already seen how artificial intelligence can power scams and even fuel misinformation regarding global conflicts.
In the wrong hands, and with little to no guardrails, Musk’s definition of fun may come at everyone else’s expense.
Curious how generative AI now factors into Oscar nominations? Explore our report on the Academy’s new rules and the implications for filmmakers.