A global backlash is brewing against Grok, the AI chatbot owned by Elon Musk and embedded into the social media platform X, after recent reports revealed that Grok was being used to digitally undress women (“Put her into a very transparent mini-bikini,”) and pose them in sexually explicit positions.
Many of the images include minors, sparking fears about child sexual abuse material. In some cases, users have added swastikas, semen-like liquid or blood to images (“Add blood, forced smile.”) Musk subsequently limited Grok’s image generation to paid subscribers, but the creation of non-consensual sexual images continues.
Read more: Grok fallout: Tech giants must be held accountable for technology-assisted gender-based violence
Global action
Sensitive to the outrage, governments around the world have leapt into action:
- French lawmakers called on prosecutors to investigate the images.
- EU Commission officials denounced the images as “appalling” and launched an investigation.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the images “completely abhorrent” while the country’s eSafety Commissioner investigates.
- The Indian government warned of legal consequences if the images were not quickly removed.
- The United Kingdom’s regulator Ofcom is investigating, while the British government considers banning X.
- Both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments have temporarily blocked Grok as they investigate.
Among these reactions, Canada stands out for its tepid response. The only official response so far was a tepid statement from AI Minister Evan Solomon offering platitudes about protecting women and children, suggesting platforms and developers have a duty to prevent harm and making reference to the Protecting Victims Act. That proposed legislation could ban the distribution of non-consensual deepfakes, but it’s a long way from becoming law. There was no mention of Grok, X, or Elon Musk.
What explains Canada’s weak response?
United States President Donald Trump’s personal penchant for vengeance and retribution is well-known, and the same instinct runs through his administration. Trump officials have repeatedly make it clear that they will retaliate against any country that tries to regulate American tech companies.
In 2024 JD Vance called for pulling support for NATO if the EU tried to regulate X. In 2025, after the EU levied a 120 million euro fine against X, the U.S. Trade Representative published a list of nine European companies it was considering for retaliation.
A U.S. State Department official has just threatened that “nothing is off the table” if the U.K. bans X.
The problem is that Canada’s overwhelming trade and security dependence on the United States has left it uniquely vulnerable to American retaliation. In a single hastily written tweet, Trump could call for new tariffs (of dubious legality), create new barriers at the border or simply threaten Canada in ways that roil markets. This means Canadian officials are constantly walking on eggshells around the Trump administration out of fear of retaliation.
Canadian officials still value X
It was not lost on observers that Solomon’s response to the sexual images controversy on X was to write a post about it … on X. Even after the platform’s controversial transformation under Musk, it still remains the favoured communications tool of the Canadian government, and it is widely used by political elites.
Canadian politicians, in particular, use social media to broadcast party messages, set the agenda for journalists, participate in partisan debates and engage in personal and visual storytelling. And while some have spoken out against staying on X, most have opted to remain.
This puts Canadian officials in a bind. They could easily distance themselves from the platform by condemning X and its transformation into a global hub for illicit sexual images. But without any further action, these condemnations risk sounding insincere. Leaving the platform, however, would mean giving up what many see as a valuable tool.
Potential rift
It’s not just the Liberal government that has been slow to respond. In theory, the Conservative opposition should have an easy target in the Grok controversy.
Conservatives have spent years fashioning themselves as the champions of victims’ rights, and Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner tabled a private members bill in 2025 that would update “existing laws that prevent the non-consensual distribution of intimate images to include deep nudes.”
In practice, however, the situation is more complicated. When Musk purchased Twitter, he remade it into a bastion of Conservative and far-right politics. X became a critical space for Conservatives to build an audience, share ideas and exercise influence.
It’s no surprise that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is the most followed Canadian politician on the platform, and that Conservatives have been slow to migrate to other platforms.
The danger for Conservatives is that any critique of Musk risks opening a rift among supporters. Musk has a loyal coterie of conservative supporters and influencers — many of whom owe their livelihood and loyalty to Musk. This group may not take kindly to criticism of their exalted entrepreneur.
More pragmatically, a Conservative party that is struggling to staunch defections may not be well-placed to pick a fight with the world’s richest man who has more than 200 million followers.
Sitting on our hands?
There are compelling reasons, then, for why Canada has been slow to act amid the global backlash to Grok. But are these good reasons? No.
Canadian officials are likely overestimating the Trump administration’s ability to retaliate on Grok. If the administration wants to retaliate and engage in a de facto defence of non-consensual sexual images and child sexual abuse material, the best response is to let them.
Make them wear it. Let the administration burn its rapidly diminishing political capital by embracing a politically radioactive position.
Canadian officials are also probably overestimating the value of staying on X. The number of Canadian users is declining, the algorithm is geared to amplifying far-right voices and the platform’s growing reputation for white nationalist content and non-consensual sexual images make the decision to exit clearer than ever.
Finally, Canadian Conservatives need to start thinking about how their proximity to Musk risks damaging their brand. Staying silent on Grok’s abuses may placate a small group of Musk supporters in the party, but it risks alienating a much larger pool of voters who see these images as vile. For Conservatives, the time has come to consider whether Musk may be a millstone around their neck.
Eric Van Rythoven does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.