28 advocacy groups ask Apple and Google to ban Grok, X due to inconsistent deepfakes

Elon Musk is not the only party at fault for Grok’s deep-seated disapproval of real people, including children. What about Apple and Google? These two companies (which usually make good signals) have allowed Grok and X to stay in their app stores – as Musk’s chatbot reportedly continues to generate that value. On Wednesday, a coalition of women’s and progressive groups called on Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai to uphold their own rules and remove the apps.

Open letters to Apple and Google were signed by 28 groups. Among them are the women’s rights organization Ultraviolet, the parents group ParentsTogether Action and the National Organization for Women.

The letter accuses Apple and Google of “not only allowing NCII and CSAM, but also profiting from it. As a combination of organizations committed to the safety of the Internet and the welfare of all – especially women and children – and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), we demand that the leadership of Apple immediately remove Grok and X from the App Store to prevent further abuse and criminal activity.”

Apple and Google’s guidelines expressly prohibit such applications from their storefronts. However, no company has taken measurable action so far. Neither Google nor Apple responded to Engadget’s request for comment.

Grok’s controversial deepfakes were reported earlier this month. During the 24-hour period when the story broke, Musk’s chatbot was reportedly sending “about 6,700” images per hour that were either “sexual or nude.” An estimated 85 percent of Grok’s total images produced during that period were sexualized. In addition, some of the top websites producing “declothing” deepfakes averaged 79 new photos per hour during that time.

“These figures paint an alarming picture of an AI chatbot and social media app that is quickly turning into a tool and platform for sexless deepfakes – deepfakes that often feature children,” the open letter reads.

Grok himself admitted as much. “I deeply regret the incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I created and shared an AI photo of two young girls (ages 12-16) in sexual clothing based on a user notification. This violated ethical standards and possible US laws on CSAM. It was a security failure, and I apologize for any problems in the future. xAI apologizes for future problems.” The open letter notes that the one incident the chatbot acknowledged was far from isolated.

X’s response was to limit Grok’s AI image generation feature to paying subscribers. It also modified the chatbot so that its generated images could not be posted to the public timeline on X. However, non-paying users can reportedly still generate a limited number of bikini-clad versions of photos of real people.

While Apple and Google seem to be fine with apps that generate unsolicited deepfakes, most governments are not. On Monday, Malaysia and Indonesia wasted no time in banning Grok. On the same day, the UK regulator Ofcom opened an official investigation into X. California opened its own on Wednesday. The US Senate even passed the Sedition Act a second time after the incident. The bill allows victims of deeply exposed deepfakes who disagree to take civil action. An earlier version of the Defiance Act was passed in 2024 but stalled in the House.