Elon Musk says Grok needs 'moral constitution' amid backlash over explicit AI-generated images

Elon Musk responds to the Grok controversy on X. (Image credit: Reuters)

Elon Musk's Artificial Chatbot, Grok, is under intense scrutiny following a surge in non-consensual explicit images generated by his AI tool. On Sunday, Musk said on X that his artificial intelligence chatbot needed a "moral constitution."

The statement came shortly after his company, xAI, announced new restrictions amid global backlash.

Musk's remark quickly sparked debate on social media, with several users welcoming his move, while others raised concerns over safeguards and accountability.

Grok should have a moral constitution

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2026

One user wrote, "A 'moral constitution' means someone else’s morals baked into the code. Who gets to decide?

Another user wrote, "Elon Musk says Grok should have a moral constitution. Programmed by whom? Itself? Or, the subjective moral constitution of a specific human? Philosophers have been unable to define human consciousness for thousands of years. Science can't either, but we are recreating it in silicon and circuitry?"

A third user commented, "We must put ethical boundaries around all AI systems now. Especially in systems that children have access to and without question the strongest polices in place for systems created and marketed to children."

Another user wrote, "Well, who will decide this law? I think it is a committee of experts from all over the world about artificial intelligence issues, the condition is neutral and independent, of course.

Grok controversy

The controversy erupted when Grok, integrated with X, was used extensively to alter images of real individuals into sexualised content showing them in bikinis or underwear. Thousands of such images were reportedly shared on X, drawing criticism from users and governments across the world.

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Amid the backlash, xAI announced that it has prohibited Grok from generating nonconsensual images showing individuals in revealing clothes. “We take action to remove high-priority violative content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and non-consensual nudity, taking appropriate action against accounts that violate our X Rules. We also report accounts seeking child sexual exploitation material to law enforcement authorities as necessary.”

Ashley St. Clair sued xAI over explicit deepfake images

Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, filed a lawsuit against Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAl, on January 15. St. Clair has alleged that the billionaire's chatbot Grok is “unreasonably dangerous as designed”, and it caused emotional damage by letting its users create sexually explicit deepfake images of her with its AI tool and by not taking sufficient actions after raising complaints.