Ireland’s minister for AI has condemned X’s decision to put parts of its Grok AI image tool behind a paywall, calling the move “window dressing” that fails to address the spread of abusive and illegal deepfakes.
X said this week it has limited Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers. Users asking Grok to alter photos now receive a prompt stating those functions are “currently limited to paying subscribers,” with links to subscribe. The platform’s AI also told one user the change was “effective today” to address “recent misuse concerns,” adding that basic Q&A remains free.
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The restriction follows widespread criticism after new Grok features introduced in late December enabled the creation of sexually explicit images of people, including children, raising alarm among child-safety advocates and regulators in Ireland and across the European Union.
“It doesn’t really mean anything in terms of the dissemination of those images,” Minister of State for AI Niamh Smyth said at the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, arguing that placing AI image editing behind a paywall does not curb the circulation of child sexual abuse material or non-consensual deepfakes. “Any opportunity that there is online to disseminate images that are of child pornography, that are of child abuse, is illegal in this country.”
Smyth said X has contacted her office and representatives from the company will meet her in the coming weeks. She had requested a meeting earlier this week and plans to sit down with media regulator Coimisiún na Meán next week. “We need the heavy hand of the European Union to help us with this, in relation to this imagery being disseminated on X,” she said, adding she has disabled her own X profile and would encourage others to do the same.
Coimisiún na Meán said it is engaging with the European Commission about the concerns. The EU’s Digital Services Act places legal obligations on large platforms to tackle illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and mitigate systemic risks such as the spread of deepfakes. X has been contacted for comment. The company has previously said it removes illegal content, permanently suspends accounts and works with governments and law enforcement.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the paywall “does not address the real matter.” Speaking at the same Dublin event, he said the issue is whether the technology is carrying out impermissible functions, not whether users pay for access. He noted the sector is no longer self-regulating under the Digital Services Act and questioned whether current oversight is “robust enough” for fast-changing AI tools. He urged anyone in Ireland whose image has been “modified” or “nudified” to contact An Garda Síochána.
Children’s Ombudsman Dr. Niall Muldoon said X’s update “makes no major difference.” He warned that putting Grok’s image-editing behind a subscription effectively says “you’ve got an opportunity to abuse, but you have to pay for it,” and called the mainstreaming of deepfake tools a “dangerous step.”
Minister for Communications, Culture and Sport Patrick O’Donovan said he deactivated his X account on Friday, citing the Grok controversy and what he described as persistent abuse on the platform. “If you’re on a platform where this is allowed, regardless of whether you’re paying for it or not, I just don’t feel comfortable with it,” he said on Limerick’s Live95. He added he would focus on other social networks and criticized the EU for lacking a harmonized approach to online child protection: “All member states are doing their own thing.”
Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Benson said nothing has “materially changed” as a result of X’s move, warning that the creation of degrading, humiliating and potentially illegal material remains possible. She called for “nudification” and deepfake apps to be stopped or banned, saying she sees no benefit to them.
The Irish government’s criticism adds to mounting European scrutiny of X and AI image-editing tools. With meetings planned between X and Irish officials and engagement under way with Brussels, regulators are likely to test whether the Digital Services Act can keep pace with the rapid evolution of generative AI and the harms it can facilitate.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
