Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has clarified his statements concerning X’s AI technology of nonconsensual sexual photographs of minors and girls, saying he merely “criticized a authorities official” for pressuring publicly traded firms for making an attempt to “block a speech app owned by their political opponent.”
Proper across the January 9 weekend, information broke that X customers had been turning to Grok, the platform’s AI device, to create images of minors and women in sexually compromising outfits and positions. The state of affairs drew the eye of US Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), who wrote a letter to Apple and Google requesting that the businesses take away the Grok and X apps from their app shops for the “mass technology of nonconsensual sexualized photographs of ladies and youngsters.” The senators have requested for a written response from each firms by January 23.
In response to the letter, which MacRumors reported and shared on X, Tim Sweeney quoted the post on January 9 and said that senators utilizing their political energy to take away these apps for the hurt they’ve triggered are “gatekeepers” who’re attempting to “censor all of their political opponents.” He continued in a follow-up post, explaining that no main AI firm is “excellent” as a result of all of them have “documented cases of [their tech] going off the rails” and that these firms “make their greatest efforts to fight this.” These feedback blew up, drawing criticism from some corners of Elon Musk’s social platform and reward from others.
After PC Gamer ran a story on January 11 criticizing Sweeney for what it described as a protection of “an unprecedented on-line sexual humiliation machine,” Sweeney responded to the outlet’s reporting, calling the story a “vile lie” that misconstrued his statements.
It is a vile lie by PC Gamer. I criticized a authorities official for pressuring Apple and Google to dam a speech app owned by their political opponent, deplatforming 500,000,000 customers on the pretense of stopping a small variety of customers from distributing disgusting content material.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 11, 2026
Tech fanatic and Autohive CEO John-Daniel Trask replied to Sweeney’s post, thanking him for “talking up on this challenge” as a result of it is someway a “energy play.” Sweeney responded, suggesting there could be “some group chat someplace” of individuals plotting who to assault, when to assault, and why to assault. He believes that the story PC Gamer ran was an “completely disgusting disregard for the reality and for editorial practices.”
GameSpot reached out to Epic for remark however has not but obtained one.
Whereas Sweeney seems annoyed with PC Gamer’s framing of his feedback, he additionally clarified that X’s Grok producing little one sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and different nonconsensual sexually exploitative photographs is “dangerous.” He additionally reiterated his place that “each vital AI has cases of this” and that firms “make their greatest efforts to cease it,” however all are “imperfect.”
1) That’s dangerous.
2) Each vital AI has cases of this.
3) Each vital AI firm makes their greatest efforts to cease it.
4) All are imperfect.
Thus the mixed hazard of selective enforcement in opposition to political opponents, and distribution monopolies.— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 9, 2026
In keeping with the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), CSAM (pronounced “see-sam”) refers to “any visible content–photos, movies, livestreams, or AI-generated images–that exhibits a toddler being sexually abused or exploited.” RAINN clarifies that CSAM isn’t little one pornography however proof of “little one sexual abuse–and it’s a criminal offense to create, distribute, or possess.”