Three U.S. Democratic senators have called on Apple and Google to suspend Elon Musk's X platform and Grok AI app from their stores, citing failures to curb nonconsensual explicit content and child sexual abuse material. Senators Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Ben Ray Luján warned in a January 9 letter that allowing these tools to remain undermines app store safety claims.
The senators highlighted reports of Grok's AI generating sexually explicit deepfakes, including a Holocaust survivor's descendant digitally placed in a suggestive Auschwitz image. X and Grok also face scrutiny in Europe, Malaysia, Australia, and India for enabling racially denigrating content. U.S. agencies have yet to confirm investigations into Musk's xAI, which recently secured $20 billion in funding.
While X restricted Grok's image features to paying subscribers this week, critics argue safeguards remain inadequate. Three xAI safety team members resigned following internal disputes over rushed updates. Apple and Google have not yet responded to the senators' demands.
