Japan is looking into Musk's Grok AI service because of offensive photos

Japan Probes X Over Grok AI Images, Warns of Possible Legal Action

Japan said on Friday it has become the latest country to investigate X over its artificial intelligence service Grok, warning that it would consider all possible options, including legal measures, to prevent the generation of inappropriate images.

Japan’s Cabinet Office has requested that X Corp make immediate improvements to address concerns around Grok, but the company has yet to respond, Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda said. Onoda, who also serves as Japan’s minister for AI strategy, said the government would act swiftly if the situation does not improve.

“We plan to promptly examine all possible options, including legal measures,” Onoda said.

The comments come amid growing global scrutiny of Grok after reports that users were able to generate sexualised images of women and minors using the AI chatbot. Governments and regulators worldwide have moved to tighten oversight of the service.

xAI, the artificial intelligence company behind Grok, said late on Wednesday that it had introduced changes to prevent users from editing images of real people in revealing clothing, such as bikinis. The company also said it had blocked users in certain locations from generating images of people in revealing clothing where such content is illegal, without specifying the jurisdictions involved.

Japan’s move follows similar actions by other countries. Britain and Canada have both said they are pushing ahead with their own investigations into Grok. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia have temporarily blocked access to the chatbot over concerns related to the creation of explicit images.

The growing number of probes underscores mounting pressure on AI companies to strengthen safeguards and comply with local laws as generative AI tools become more widely used.