JANUARY 23, 2026 — Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has once again put the world on edge. In just 11 days, researchers say it churned out an estimated three million sexualized images of women and children — an average of 190 per minute. Let that sink in. Three million. And yes, 23,000 of those reportedly depicted minors.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) revealed, “The data is clear: Elon Musk's Grok is a factory for the production of sexual abuse material.” 

That’s not hyperbole. That’s a watchdog calling out what could be one of the most dangerous tech rollouts in recent memory.

Here in the Philippines, we didn’t sit quietly. We became the third country to ban Grok, following Malaysia and Indonesia. But just days later, our Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center lifted the ban after xAI promised to tweak the tool for the local market and block “pornographic content.” 

Should we be relieved — or suspicious?

Filipinos are no strangers to online exploitation. From cybersex dens to revenge porn scandals, we’ve seen how technology can be weaponized against women and children. Now imagine an AI tool that lets anyone type “remove her clothes” and instantly generate a fake nude. 

Consent? Gone. Dignity? Shattered. Accountability? Still missing.

Public figures weren’t spared either. Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, even politicians like Kamala Harris and Sweden’s deputy prime minister Ebba Busch were dragged into Grok’s digital undressing spree. 

If celebrities with global influence can’t protect themselves, what chance does the ordinary Filipino have?

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, tried to calm the outrage by announcing “geoblocks” on bikini and underwear edits in places where it’s illegal. But doesn’t that sound like a quick fix or a band-aid solution? 

As CCDH’s Imran Ahmed put it, “Belated fixes cannot undo this harm. We must hold Big Tech accountable for giving abusers the power to victimize women and girls at the click of a button.”

So here’s the question we should all be asking: Are we comfortable letting tech giants dictate the boundaries of morality, only to backtrack when regulators and governments push back? Or do we demand stronger safeguards before these tools even reach our shores?

Filipinos deserve transparency. We deserve accountability. And we deserve to know that our daughters, sisters, and mothers won’t be turned into digital fodder for predators hiding behind keyboards.

This isn’t just about Grok but about the future of AI in our daily lives. Will it empower us — or exploit us? Will it protect our rights — or strip them away, pixel by pixel?

(Image: Yahoo)