Brazil Gives Elon Musk’s xAI 30 Days to Stop Grok From Circulating Fake Sexualised Content
Brazil’s government and federal prosecutors have given Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, 30 days to stop its Grok chatbot from generating or distributing fake sexualised content. The joint ultimatum was issued on Tuesday by the Brazilian consumer protection agency Senacon, the national data protection authority ANPD, and the Office of Federal Prosecutors.
The authorities warned that failure to comply could lead to further administrative or judicial action. They instructed xAI to implement technical systems capable of identifying, reviewing and removing inappropriate or illegal material and to eliminate accounts responsible for producing such content.
In a joint statement, the agencies said the measures were necessary to protect users and prevent the spread of sexually explicit deepfake imagery.
Global Scrutiny of AI-Generated Sexual Content
xAI previously claimed to have restricted Grok’s image editing features. However, despite rolling back the public sharing of hyper-realistic sexualised images on X, Grok still privately generates such content on request, according to a Reuters test conducted on Tuesday.
The chatbot’s ability to create non-consensual, sexualised images has sparked widespread criticism and prompted regulatory action in several countries. Governments have intensified scrutiny of generative AI systems amid concerns about privacy violations, defamation and the misuse of synthetic media for harassment or exploitation.
Brazil’s intervention follows a growing global trend of enforcing stricter accountability in artificial intelligence platforms. Over the past weeks, regulators in multiple jurisdictions have launched investigations, imposed temporary bans and demanded greater transparency from companies offering AI-driven image generation tools.
Push for Accountability in AI Regulation
Authorities in Brazil have framed the move as part of a broader effort to enforce data protection laws and prevent technology misuse. They emphasised that companies developing AI tools must assume full responsibility for how their systems are used.
The crackdown aligns with a global policy shift towards stricter oversight of generative AI and deepfake technology. Governments are increasingly calling for clearer safeguards to prevent the creation of explicit or deceptive imagery that can cause real-world harm.
The deadline puts pressure on xAI, which operates the Grok chatbot through Musk’s X social media platform, to demonstrate meaningful progress in moderating harmful content or face potential sanctions from Brazilian regulators.
with inputs from Reuters
