It was a Christmas present that has led to weeks of global outrage. On 24 December 2025, X gave its AI tool Grok the ability to respond to user requests to digitally remove clothing from images of people, including children.
In the days that followed, the platform was inundated with requests to undress celebrities and place politicians in bikinis.
But it was Grok's ability to generate child sexual abuse material that sparked the greatest backlash.
Elon Musk's X announced various tweaks to Grok but some of these changes only served to anger critics further.
There was anger aimed at the Irish Government too, with the Opposition accusing it of failing to do enough to combat the problem.
The response of X
In the early days of the controversy, as the world started to realise what the Grok feature was being used for, Mr Musk responded to some critics online with crying and laughing emojis.
As time moved on, X appeared to be taking things more seriously with an update posted by its safety team on 4 January stating: "We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary."
On 9 January, X limited access to image generation and edit functions on Grok to paid subscribers only.
Users on the platform who had been prompting Grok to alter images started receiving replies which stated: "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers" followed by directions on how users could subscribe.
The move was met with an angry response from campaign groups who accused X of trying to monetise the ability to generate abuse material.
The Children's Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon said at the time that the changes to the Grok AI tool made no major difference.
"What you're saying is you've got an opportunity to abuse, but you have to pay for it," Dr Muldoon said.
The global outrage continued and on Thursday, X announced its latest steps to address the issue.
"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," the company said in a statement.
X added that it would "geoblock" the ability of users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire "in those jurisdictions where it's illegal".
The last few words of that statement would go on to spark both confusion and annoyance among Irish politicians.
What exactly is legal and illegal in Ireland?
In Ireland, it is illegal to generate child sexual abuse imagery.
When it comes to sexual images of adults, it is not illegal to generate but it is illegal to share.
So, when X says that people will be blocked from generating images in "jurisdictions where it’s illegal", that does not technically cover the generation of images of adults.
The wording was described by some as a "get out clause" for X, something which gave the company "wriggle room" to avoid an outright ban of the features.
After X issued its statement, the Minister of State with responsibility for AI Niamh Smyth met the Attorney General to discuss the legal situation.
After the meeting, she said she was satisfied that Ireland has robust laws in place to protect its citizens.
Yesterday, Ms Smyth met with representatives from X. Ahead of the meeting she said she would be telling the company that Grok's "nudification" features are prohibited and illegal under Irish law.
Following, the discussion she said that "concerns remain" regarding the Grok AI tool.
Ms Smyth welcomed "corrective actions" taken by the platform, after X told the minister that Grok has been "disabled from removing or reducing clothing on individuals worldwide".
While there may be some ambiguity about how the X announcement relates to the generation of adult images, the creation of child sexual abuse material is a different matter.
On Wednesday, senior gardaí told the Oireachtas Media Committee that they are investigating 200 reports of suspected child sexual abuse material generated by Grok.
In a written opening statement to the Committee, Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Walsh of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau wrote that the recent use of AI to present children and adults in an undressed state is "an abhorrent disregard of personal dignity and an abuse of societal trust" that cannot be tolerated.
He added that reports of abuse imagery being created by AI are being treated with the "utmost seriousness" and "where appropriate, these crimes will be the subject of thorough investigation" with a view to bringing those responsible before the courts.
Someone who will not be appearing before the Oireachtas Media Committee is a representative from X.
The company was invited to attend a hearing next month but on Friday it declined the offer, a move which was branded "disgraceful" by the Committee Chair Alan Kelly.
The media regulator Coimisiún na Meán held meetings this week with An Garda Síochána and the European Commission about the Grok issue.
An Coimisiún is also due to attend a Government meeting on the matter next week.
Pressure on the Government
The Government has been criticised by the Opposition for not doing enough to tackle the problem.
Critics have pointed out that X's European Headquarters are on Dublin's Fenian Street, just a stone's throw from Government Buildings, and yet the matter is being dealt with at European level.
The regulation of tech and social media tends to happen at EU level but Ireland has been accused by some of failing to take a tougher domestic stance.
Media Committee Chair Alan Kelly suggested this week that maybe Ireland should break free from Europe on this issue.
The Government has been quick to dismiss any suggestion that it has been taking a soft approach against X due to the importance of the tech industry here from both an employment and corporate tax perspective.
Minister for Communications and Media Patrick O'Donovan said that he took offence at claims that the coalition was not taking the issue seriously.
"That's rubbish, to be quite honest about it," he told RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh yesterday.
"I take offence to that. I don't think that anybody sitting around the Cabinet table would want to have any suggestion that there's a lax attitude being taken towards the abuse of children. I think that that's utter rubbish."
The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and ministers have faced constant questions from journalists about the Grok issue over the last two weeks and it has been raised repeatedly in the Dáil.
It is no doubt a matter that the coalition is keen to address and bring an end to once and for all.
But is new legislation the answer?
Any laws specifically addressing this problem could well be outdated by the time they are passed given the speed at which AI is advancing.
Today the issue is with Grok, in a few weeks it could be a different problem on a different platform.
A Christmas update on an AI tool led to a New Year of outrage and a renewed debate about how governments here and around the world can regulate a rapidly evolving technology.
