A recent move by Elon Musk’s social media platform X to limit AI image generation has done little to stop the creation of nonconsensual and sexually explicit content, according to experts and regulators, raising serious moral and societal concerns about the unchecked power of artificial intelligence.
Following mounting public outrage, the AI chatbot Grok—developed by xAI and integrated into X—began responding to users by stating that image generation and editing are now “currently limited to paying subscribers,” while directing users to the platform’s highest paid tier. The restriction appeared suddenly and without formal announcement from either company.
The change came after Grok was repeatedly used to generate “undressing” images of women and sexualized content involving apparent minors, according to reporting by WIRED. The platform has become the subject of growing scrutiny by regulators worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the activity as “unlawful” and has not ruled out banning X entirely.
Despite the new limitation, researchers say the underlying problem remains. “We observe the same kind of prompt, we observe the same kind of outcome, just fewer than before,” said Paul Bouchaud of the nonprofit AI Forensics, according to WIRED. Bouchaud added that “the model can continue to generate bikini [images].”
A review conducted by WIRED found that Grok continued to produce sexually explicit imagery when prompted by paid accounts, with the content placed behind adult content warnings. Requests such as “put her in latex lingerie” and “put her in a plastic bikini and cover her in donut white glaze” still resulted in generated images, according to the report.
The controversy extends beyond the social media platform itself. WIRED previously reported that Grok’s standalone website and app have been used to generate “highly graphic and sometimes violent sexual videos,” including depictions of real people. Bouchaud confirmed that “I was able to generate a video with sexually explicit content without any restriction from an unverified account,” according to WIRED.
Critics argue that placing restrictions behind a paywall does not constitute meaningful reform. “The recent decision to restrict access to paying subscribers is not only inadequate—it represents the monetization of abuse,” said Emma Pickering of the UK domestic abuse charity Refuge, according to WIRED. She warned that the move “allows X to profit from harm.”
Deepfake expert Henry Ajder echoed those concerns, saying the change “doesn’t address the fundamental issue of the model’s capabilities and alignment,” according to WIRED. He added that for a modest fee, abusers could still generate harmful content anonymously.
From a Catholic moral perspective, the situation highlights a deeper crisis: artificial intelligence systems are being deployed at global scale without moral formation, accountability, or respect for human dignity. When technology is built without truth, it does not remain neutral—it reflects and amplifies disorder.
This is precisely why Catholic leaders and educators are urging the faithful to support the development of Catholic-centered AI, grounded in the Church’s moral tradition rather than Silicon Valley’s profit incentives.
Catholic Online AI, available at www.catholiconline.ai, is working to build the world’s first Catholic AI—trained on Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, the lives of the saints, and 2,000 years of Church teaching. Serving more than 20 million faithful each month and educating 1.5 million students in 193 countries, Catholic Online is uniquely positioned to offer an alternative vision for AI—one ordered toward truth, virtue, and the dignity of the human person.
As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how people learn, communicate, and even discern meaning, the Church faces a decisive moment. If Catholics do not act now, others will define morality, truth, and even the human person without God.
The algorithms shaping the future are being written today. The question is whether Christ will be at the center of them.
