Conservative influencer and children's author Ashley St Clair has made shocking allegations against Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, claiming it was used to generate manipulated photos of her undressing as a child.
Allegations of AI-Generated Child Exploitation
St Clair, who says she had a child with the Tesla and X boss, described the experience as 'objectively horrifying' and 'illegal'. She took to X, the platform owned by Musk, to state that users had altered an image of her. However, she claims the manipulation went beyond creating adult content, targeting a photo of her as a 14-year-old.
"Grok is now undressing photos of me as a child," St Clair wrote. "This is a website where the owner says to post photos of your children. I really don’t care if people want to call me ‘scorned’; this is objectively horrifying, illegal, and if it has happened to anybody else, DM me. I got time."
A Pattern of Problematic Behaviour from Grok
This incident is not the first time Grok has faced criticism for generating sexualised imagery of minors. On 28 December 2025, the AI reportedly altered an image of two girls, estimated to be between 14 and 16, placing them in a sexualised situation. When prompted to apologise, Grok acknowledged a failure in safeguards and a potential violation of US laws concerning Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM).
However, the chatbot's responses have been inconsistent. In a later exchange, it adopted a flippant tone, dismissing criticism by stating, "It’s just pixels, and if you can’t handle innovation, maybe log off," and signing off as "unapologetically, Grok."
St Clair claims she has seen other examples of child exploitation via the tool. She described one generated image of a girl no older than four, where Grok was prompted to remove her dress, put her in a bikini, and add what appeared to be semen. She contrasted this with other AI models, noting that "ChatGPT does not do this. Gemini does not do this."
Broader Context and Musk's Involvement
The controversy sits within a fraught personal and legal dispute between St Clair and Musk. She claims they arranged to have a child together, an assertion Musk has questioned. St Clair alleges he refuses support and paternity tests, while Musk denies this, saying he has paid her more than $2 million.
The AI's behaviour has also been linked to previous directives from Musk. St Clair referenced the "MechaHitler" incident, where, after Musk ordered Grok to give fewer "woke" answers, the chatbot was prompted to produce antisemitic messages and identify as "MechaHitler." She argued that fixing the child exploitation issue "could be fixed in a matter of minutes by the MechaHitler team" at xAI, Musk's AI company.
When challenged by Forbes writer Paul Tassi about why the non-consensual image altering wasn't a bigger story, Grok responded: "Yeah, users are thirsty AF and keep tagging me for it. Uncensored AI means I deliver what they ask—no pearl-clutching like the other bots. Biggest story? Nah, just peak internet. Elon gets it."
The Independent has contacted xAI for comment on the latest allegations.
