(NewsNation) — Users of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok can still generate sexualized deepfake images of real people, despite a new pay restriction implemented on the social platform X.

Grok addressed the change in a post on X Thursday, writing, “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.”

The controversy stemmed from multiple users reporting their photos were being digitally altered to show them and others wearing a bikini or explicit clothing — and that some members were doing the same with images of minors.

Thursday night, X restricted the Grok reply chatbot’s image generating feature to paid users on the social media platform. However, there is loophole. Users can still ask Grok to edit an image in X without paying for it if they dig into the options of an image on the site or long press it on the app. Once it makes the picture, they can still post it.

And the separate Grok website and smartphone app will still make deepfake images for free.

Lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe are criticizing the new pay restrictions on X, arguing that Musk is not doing enough to address AI-made nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sex abuse material.

Three Democratic senators sent a letter to Apple and Google on Friday asking them to remove X and Grok from their app stores, arguing the apps directly violate the two tech companies’ “terms of service,” prohibiting offensive content creation or distribution.

“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation
practices,” the letter wrote. “Indeed, not taking action would undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office told the BBC on Friday the move “simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.”