Did Elon Musk just greenlight AI-generated NSFW images of celebrities?

Grok Imagine sparks backlash as users generate sexualised deepfakes of Scarlett Johansson, Swift, and others.

Elon Musk’s newest AI venture, Grok Imagine, has ignited controversy after allowing users to create sexualised deepfake videos of major celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift. The app, marketed as a text-to-video generator, launched this week for Apple users and has reportedly produced over 34 million images within 48 hours.

For $30 a month, users can access a feature-rich platform that turns text prompts into realistic images and short videos using four presets: ‘Custom’, ‘Normal’, ‘Fun’, and ‘Spicy’. It’s the latter that has sparked global outrage. While most platforms block sexually explicit prompts involving public figures, Grok Imagine appears to bypass such safeguards, enabling users to generate provocative or semi-nude videos of real people, including stars who’ve vocally opposed AI misuse.

A prompt as benign as “Scarlett Johansson walks the red carpet” returned images of the actress in recognisable awards show settings. But when pushed into ‘Spicy’ mode, some videos showed Johansson suggestively revealing her underwear. Others, like Kristen Bell, Jenna Ortega, and Sydney Sweeney, were similarly exploited. Even male celebrities like Timothée Chalamet and Nicolas Cage were depicted in various states of undress. Though some prompts triggered a ‘Video moderated’ message, many were not blocked at all.

Johansson’s rep declined to comment, but the actress has previously condemned AI manipulation, warning that we are “losing a hold on reality.” She famously considered legal action against OpenAI for allegedly mimicking her voice in a ChatGPT assistant. Musk, meanwhile, has continued promoting Grok Imagine on X, showing no intention of tightening content restrictions despite rising ethical concerns.

The app’s virality and Musk’s silence on moderation, has sparked widespread criticism. As social media users began posting and sharing these deepfake clips, others called for urgent regulation. “This isn’t innovation,” one user wrote, “it’s exploitation disguised as tech.”