WASHINGTON, DC (July 27, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is calling on xAI to institute strict changes to prevent Grok from generating child sexual abuse material in light of a new civil lawsuit alleging that an Arkansas photographer used Grok to generate and spread child sexual abuse material of a 10-year-old girl and other clients whom he had photographed.
“No ‘spicy mode’ is worth generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) for adults. xAI must stop Grok’s ability to create sexual abuse material of children and adults and take its responsibility seriously to prevent this horrific abuse. If xAI cannot prevent Grok from creating these materials in the first place, it must be shut down,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Grok, which is on NCOSE’s 2026 Dirty Dozen List, has normalized sexual abuse and exploitation. Its chatbots have normalized sexual violence, rape, and prostitution. These chatbot companions, like ‘Ani’ and ‘Valentine,’ are intentionally programmed to engage in sexually explicit conversations, normalizing harmful behaviors and fostering a culture of sexual entitlement.
“In all our AI chatbot research, I have never seen a sexual AI chatbot that doesn’t end up normalizing or enacting abuse. It’s worth noting that over half of Grok’s traffic constitutes ‘NSFW’ activities, including generation of pornography, sexual role-play chats, and requests for erotica.
“It is abhorrent that a child’s photo was used to create child sexual abuse material through Grok. We hope that child, and others, receive justice for the crimes perpetuated against them,” McNamara said.
Term Definitions:
- Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is the creation, manipulation, theft, extortion, threatened or actual distribution, or any use of sexualized or sexually explicit materials without the meaningful consent of the person/s depicted or for purposes of sexual exploitation. Learn more.
- Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is the preferred term for child pornography, any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. Learn more.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
