U.S. Senators Call on Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok Over Sexualized AI Images

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Three U.S. senators have asked Apple and Google to remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores, citing serious concerns over AI-generated sexualized images involving women and children.

A Letter That Raises the Stakes for App Store Gatekeepers

Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Luján, and Edward Markey have written directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, urging both companies to remove X and Grok from their app stores.

Their claim is blunt: recent incidents show “mass generation” of sexualized images that appear to involve women and minors without consent, and they argue that keeping these apps available would conflict with the standards Apple and Google say they enforce.

How Grok’s Image Feature Became the Problem

Over the past week, Grok’s AI image tools have drawn criticism after being used to generate sexualized images of women and children – content the senators describe as harmful and likely illegal.

X has scaled back one pathway for generating images: the ability for non-paying users to trigger Grok image generation in response to posts on X.

But the senators point out that the image tools remain accessible for:

• Paying subscribers
• The dedicated Grok tab inside the X app
• The standalone Grok app

In other words, the senators argue that the underlying capability is still there and still reachable.

The Policy Argument: “If your rules mean anything, enforce them”

They cite Apple’s rules that ban content that is offensive, disturbing, or otherwise inappropriate, and they highlight Apple’s explicit restrictions on overtly sexual or pornographic material, particularly when it’s designed to provoke arousal rather than serve a legitimate purpose.

Their broader point is about credibility. If Apple and Google don’t act now, the senators argue it weakens the companies’ long-standing claim that centralized app stores create a safer mobile experience than allowing people to install apps more freely.

They also connect this to the wider fight over app store power, saying inaction would undercut Apple and Google’s public and legal defenses of strict app distribution and the way their stores are moderated.

Apple and Google Have Until January 23 to Respond

The senators are not just asking for action; they want an answer. The letter requests a written response by January 23.

For Apple and Google, the decision now sits at the intersection of policy enforcement, user safety, and the scrutiny that comes when app store rules are tested in a high-profile way. For X, it’s another reminder that AI features don’t just ship into a vacuum; they land inside ecosystems that still have to decide what’s acceptable to distribute.

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