Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has released new image and video generation functions on its Grok app, complete with a ‘spicy’ mode that’s predictably already caused controversy.
Grok Imagine creates AI images and videos through text and voice prompts, and turns images into short videos with sound. It’s available to SuperGrok subscribers at a cost of $30 a month, and Premium+ X subscribers for $300 a month.
Grok Imagine has been released on the Grok iOS app, with Musk saying it would be released for Android on Thursday (August 7, 2025). It will compete with generative AI rivals such as Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Runway.
In contrast to most mainstream generative AI tools, which usually have anti-nudity limits built into them, Grok Imagine has a dedicated ‘spicy’ mode that lets you create content featuring topless men and women.
It was tested by Gizmodo, which found that it was far easier to make truly NSFW content of women than men in ‘spicy’ mode. Some videos came back with a “video moderated” message, but it was relatively easy to make content of women exposing their breasts.
So far, so Musk, but what is perhaps more concerning is Grok Imagine’s ability to create ‘spicy’ images and videos of real people. The Verge found that the tool could be used to make topless deepfake content depicting Taylor Swift, with the outlet saying it was a “lawsuit waiting to happen”.
Earlier in 2025 it became illegal in the US to share sexually explicit photos and videos online without the consent of those depicted in it. The law includes AI-generated content. Individuals who share nonconsensual porn featuring adults face prison sentences of up to two years. In the UK, laws are being considered to make not just sharing illegal, but also the creation of deepfakes.
Gizmodo found that Grok Imagine could create content featuring US first lady Melania Trump, plus a completely naked fake depiction of the late feminist writer Valerie Solanas. Despite this, it was also reported that the tool is often terrible at making convincing fake images of celebrities.
Grok, which is integrated into Musk’s X social media platform, also recently released a series of AI chatbot characters, including characters capable of sex chat.
Its introduction to the social media platform likely won’t help it avoid the looming pressure of implementing age verification changes either.
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