Epic Games CEO Tries To Clarify Comments About X’s AI Image-Generating Tool

by

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, has explained his comments about X’s AI-generated images, stating he was actually criticizing a government official. He said this official pressured public companies to stop blocking an app owned by a political rival.

Over the weekend of January 9th, reports surfaced that people on X (formerly Twitter) were using Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot, to generate sexually explicit images of minors and women. This prompted Senators Ben Ray Lujan, Edward Markey, and Ron Wyden to send a letter to Apple and Google, asking them to remove both the X and Grok apps from their app stores. The senators cited the creation of a large number of sexualized images of women and children without their consent as the reason for their request, and have asked for a response by January 23rd.

Following a letter reported by MacRumors and shared on X, Tim Sweeney responded on January 9th by calling senators who want to remove certain apps “gatekeepers” attempting to “censor political opponents.” He elaborated that all major AI companies have flaws and occasionally experience issues with their technology, but they are actively working to address these problems. His comments sparked a debate on Elon Musk’s social platform, with some users criticizing and others supporting his views.

I was pretty shocked to see PC Gamer publish an article on January 11th that really came down hard on Tim Sweeney, accusing him of basically defending something awful – they called it an “unprecedented online sexual humiliation machine.” He quickly fired back, though, saying the whole thing was a “vile lie” and that they completely twisted his words. It’s definitely a messy situation and I’m curious to see how it unfolds.

PC Gamer published a false and damaging statement. I previously voiced my disapproval of a government official who pressured Apple and Google to remove a speech app belonging to a political rival. This action effectively silenced 500 million users under the guise of addressing a small amount of offensive content.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 11, 2026

John-Daniel Trask, the CEO of Autohive and a tech fan, thanked Tim Sweeney for raising concerns, calling the situation a potential abuse of power. Sweeney responded by suggesting someone might be coordinating attacks on others, possibly through a group chat. He strongly criticized a PC Gamer article, calling it a dishonest and unethical piece of journalism.

TopMob reached out to Epic for comment but has not yet received one.

Sweeney expressed disappointment with how PC Gamer presented his statements, but he confirmed that X’s Grok creating harmful content like child sexual abuse material and exploitative images is unacceptable. He pointed out that this is a problem with all major AI systems, and while companies try their best to prevent it, they aren’t always successful.

This problem affects all major AI systems. While AI companies try hard to prevent it, their efforts aren’t perfect. This creates a risk: AI could be unfairly used against people based on their political views, and a few companies could gain too much control over the technology.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 9, 2026

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) defines CSAM (pronounced “see-sam”) as any visual material – like photos, videos, live streams, or images created by artificial intelligence – that depicts a child being sexually abused or exploited. RAINN emphasizes that CSAM isn’t child pornography; it’s proof of child sexual abuse, and creating, sharing, or possessing it is illegal.

Read More

2026-01-13 17:42