United Kingdom, Jan. 9 -- X has restricted image-editing features in its Grok AI chatbot to paying subscribers, following a backlash over the tool's use in creating suggestive deepfake images without consent.

The change comes after Grok was shown to comply with user requests to digitally alter photos of real people - predominantly women - by undressing them or placing them in revealing clothing.

While Grok remains free to use for text-based prompts on X, attempts to edit images now trigger a message stating that "image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers," tying access to accounts with verified payment details.

Critics have argued the move falls short of addressing the underlying problem.

Professor Clare...