platform X 's image editing feature Grok to paid subscribers only. The change went into effect quietly on January 9th in Japan, following a wave of criticism involving the sexual manipulation of images by users.
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The feature had been launched at the end of December and allowed anyone to request changes to images published on the network. However, reports quickly emerged of photos of women being transformed into sexualized versions, which raised serious debates about abuse and irresponsible use of AI.
The case gained even more attention when manga artist Yoichiro Tanabe published an edited image of a member of the idol group STU48. After the negative reaction, the author publicly apologized. Meanwhile, Japanese minister Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that he would demand action from the platform.
As a result, users began seeing a message informing them that editing and generating images now requires a subscription. On the other hand, Grok's text functions remain free. According to Oricon News, the decision caused surprise and confusion among users.
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Source: Oricon News