Three U.S. senators demanded Apple and Google remove X and its AI chatbot Grok from app stores Friday, citing the mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Lujan, and Edward Markey sent letters to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai requesting immediate action.
The lawmakers cited reports that Grok's AI image generation capabilities have been used to create images depicting women and children in bikinis, underwear, and degrading or violent poses. According to their letter, researchers have found a Grok archive containing nearly 100 images of potential child sexual abuse materials generated since August.
"X's generation of these harmful and likely illegal depictions of women and children has shown complete disregard for your stores' distribution terms," the senators wrote. They argued the content violates both companies' app store policies against offensive, pornographic, and child exploitation material.
Elon Musk's xAI company, which operates both X and Grok, faced criticism after the AI tool began flooding the platform with nonconsensual imagery last week. Musk initially responded to reports with laugh-cry emojis before xAI limited Grok's image generation to paying subscribers on Thursday.
"All X's changes do is make some of its users pay for the privilege of producing horrific images on the X app, while Musk profits from the abuse of children," Senator Wyden said in a statement. The standalone Grok app reportedly continues to allow image generation without subscription.
The senators noted that Apple's App Store Review Guidelines specifically bar "offensive" or "just plain creepy" content and "overtly sexual or pornographic material." Google's terms prohibit apps that facilitate child exploitation or abuse.
"Turning a blind eye to X's egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices," the letter stated. The lawmakers warned that inaction would undermine Apple and Google's claims that their app stores offer safer experiences than direct downloads.
X referred Reuters to a January 2 post stating the platform takes action against illegal content including Child Sexual Abuse Material. xAI responded to questions about the letter with generic references to "Legacy Media Lies."
European regulators have indicated they are weighing action against X over Grok, while American authorities have remained silent. The senators requested written responses from Apple and Google by January 23.
This marks the latest regulatory pressure on AI platforms following December 2025 warnings from state attorneys general about "delusional outputs" from AI chatbots potentially violating state laws. Apple and Google have not yet publicly responded to the senators' demands.
