After Sexualized Image Backlash, Musk Attempts to Market Grok as “Brand Safe”

Elon Musk’s platform, X, is trying to convince advertisers that it’s a safe place to run ads. A leaked presentation shows the company is working to rebuild trust after many brands pulled their spending following Musk’s takeover.

A central part of X’s pitch is its AI chatbot, Grok. The company claims Grok helps create a “brand-safe” environment and says it has achieved “nearly 100%” brand safety scores from ad analytics firms IAS and DoubleVerify. But Grok has already generated millions of sexually explicit deepfake images, including of women and minors. After public backlash, X said the chatbot would stop producing sexualized AI images. The fact that this had to be addressed at all raises serious concerns about whether the tool is safe.

Advertisers remain cautious. Many left the platform after Musk made hostile public comments toward brands that reduced their ad spending. According to estimates from EMARKETER, X now holds less than 1% of global digital ad revenue — a steep decline that reflects the ongoing trust problem.

At the same time, X is suing an advertising trade group, claiming it coordinated a boycott against the platform. That lawsuit is still pending. The company has also faced criticism for loosening content moderation policies and reinstating controversial accounts, which further complicates its claim that the platform is safe for brands.

X presented these new safety tools during its “2026 Brand Suitability Webinar,” but serious questions remain.

Despite marketing claims and improved controls, Grok has already demonstrated that it can produce harmful and inappropriate content. That track record makes it difficult to argue that the chatbot — or the platform itself — is truly safe.