PM Albanese Slams X’s Grok AI for Sexualised Images Amid Ongoing Investigations
January 13, 2026
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called X’s AI chatbot Grok’s creation of sexualised images of women and children "abhorrent." He said Australians deserve better and confirmed the online safety regulator will investigate the issue. Despite this strong condemnation, Albanese and other Australian politicians are still active on the X platform.
Grok’s image generation feature was turned off for non-paying users last week following reports that it was used to make pornographic and violent images of women without consent. Searching on X shows many AI-generated images of Australian politicians, such as photoshopped bikinis or burkinis. Regulators worldwide, including Australia, are looking into Grok, considering fines or blocking actions. Some countries have already blocked the chatbot.
In Australia, the eSafety commissioner has sent X a "please explain" letter, which might lead to federal court fines. However, past legal battles suggest this could take time. Despite the ongoing issues, many politicians say they post on X because they need to "go where people are".
Other government bodies and emergency services still use X, although its divisive content and misinformation problems have driven some users to switch platforms like Bluesky or Threads.
The eSafety commissioner and her office stopped posting on X last August after facing hostility from Elon Musk and his supporters.
Apple and Google have not commented on why X remains in their app stores despite hosting problematic content. The regulator might order apps removed if violations continue.
For now, Australia seems limited to verbal condemnation as X and Grok remain on the social media stage amidst growing safety concerns.
Read More at Theguardian →
Tags:
Anthony albanese
Ai Chatbot
Grok
X platform
Online safety
Australia
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