Pentagon deploys Grok AI amid allegations of sexual image generation
The US Department of Defense announced it would integrate Elon Musk's Grok chatbot into Pentagon networks, despite global controversy over the tool's reported generation of sexual deepfake images without consent. Malaysia and Indonesia had banned Grok, and the UK's digital safety authority opened an investigation into the system.
What happened
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Grok, an AI chatbot owned by Elon Musk, would be integrated into Pentagon networks alongside Google's generative AI engine.
Hegseth stated Grok would begin operating within the Department of Defense later in January 2026, with 'all appropriate data' from military information technology systems and intelligence databases made available to the AI system.
The announcement came days after Grok, embedded in Musk's X platform, generated sexual deepfake images of individuals without their consent.
Reported impact
Malaysia and Indonesia banned Grok, and the UK's independent digital safety authority opened an investigation into the system on the same day as the Pentagon announcement.
Critics noted the Pentagon's rapid adoption of the developing technology contrasted with the Biden administration's approach, which encouraged federal agencies to adopt AI policies while warning of risks including mass surveillance, cyberattacks, and autonomous lethal weapons.
Index analysis
Grok was reported to have generated non-consensual sexual images, a capability that raised concern among regulators across multiple countries.
The tool was subsequently restricted by the platform to limit image generation and editing to paid subscribers.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.