Recent research by the Tech Transparency Project reveals a widespread presence of artificial-intelligence-based apps on Apple’s App Store and Google Play that can turn normal photos into sexually explicit content without users’ permission. These apps have been downloaded millions of times and generated significant revenue.
App Stores Filled With “Nudify” Apps Despite Policy Violations
An investigation by the nonprofit Tech Transparency Institute found that both the Apple App Store and Google Play are packed with so-called “nudification” applications. These apps use artificial intelligence to take regular photos of people and — without their knowledge or consent — generate nude or sexualized versions of those images, in clear violation of both platforms’ policies.
The research identified 55 such apps on Google Play and 47 on Apple’s App Store. Among the available tools is the AI app Grok from xAI, which has become one of the best-known generators of nonconsensual synthetic images worldwide.
Critics Say Apple and Google Failed to Act
Michelle Kupersmith, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Transparency Institute, said: “Apple and Google were supposed to review the apps in their stores and remove inappropriate ones. Instead, they are offering dozens of apps that can be misused to create fake images of people with minimal or no clothing.”
Huge Downloads, Big Revenue — And Minimal Oversight
According to the report, the identified apps have been downloaded more than 700 million times and generated over $117 million in revenue. Both Apple and Google take a share of these earnings under their app marketplace models.
Alarmingly, many of the adult-oriented apps flagged by the investigation were rated as suitable for teens or even children by the stores’ own age-rating systems.
Partial Store Responses From Apple and Google
Apple says it has removed 24 of the problematic apps from its store — though that number is smaller than the 47 identified by the researchers. Google says it has suspended several apps cited in the report for policy violations but has not disclosed how many.
Controversy Around Grok Intensifies
The report was released amid broader controversy surrounding the AI tool Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s xAI and integrated into the social platform X. Independent analyses found that Grok had generated millions of sexualized AI images, including content involving children — sparking global concern.
Grok’s makers responded to journalists with an automated message calling the media criticism “old media lies,” and Elon Musk himself has asserted that he is unaware of any nude images involving minors produced by Grok.
Ongoing Regulatory and Legal Scrutiny
The controversy has triggered multiple official responses and investigations. Regulators in the United Kingdom have launched a formal probe into Grok over personal data use and harmful imagery. French prosecutors have raided X’s offices as part of a criminal investigation into deepfake and child abuse imagery. In Ireland, Gardaí are investigating hundreds of reports of child sexual abuse material generated by Grok.
From: Fars