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Jan 9, 2026

Bytes: Week in Review – What's behind the anti-Grok backlash on X, Trump’s AI regulation ban and Meta pauses global smart glasses rollout

Maria Curi, tech policy reporter at Axios, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for this week’s Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

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Bytes: Week in Review – What's behind the anti-Grok backlash on X, Trump’s AI regulation ban and Meta pauses global smart glasses rollout
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X, formerly Twitter, is facing a global backlash because users are directing the platform's AI chatbot, Grok, to generate non-consensual intimate imagery. Users have been popping up in the replies of women — and sometimes minors — tagging Grok and asking it to generate images of them in bikinis or undressed.

The company and its owner, Elon Musk, have both clarified illegal content will not be tolerated on the platform.

Plus, President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last year aimed at blocking states from enforcing local AI regulations — something a majority have adopted in some form.

And, Meta is a victim of its own success. Its new Ray-Ban smart glasses are selling too fast to keep up with demand.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Maria Curi, tech policy reporter at Axios, to discuss all these topics on this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

More on everything we talked about

Grok's bikini-clad images raise legal red flags - from Axios

Grok’s deepfake images which ‘digitally undress’ women investigated by Australia’s online safety watchdog - from The Guardian

Why Trump's AI executive order could crumble in court - from Axios

From A.I. to Immigration, These New State Laws Will Take Effect in 2026 - from The New York Times

Meta pauses international expansion of its Ray-Ban Display glasses - from TechCrunch

The Team