Elon Musk’s X Corp. may have rattled a few people today when it updated its policies to formally allow various kinds of sexually explicit content on the platform, including AI-generated prurience.

X, which was formerly Twitter Inc., has always been home to NSFW, or “not safe for work” content, although the company has never been entirely clear about the rules. Earlier this year, the platform was roundly criticized for not acting fast enough when explicit deepfake images and videos of the singer Taylor Swift made the rounds on X.

The subsequent uproar, which went as far as the White House, resulted in more calls to regulate AI. X and other social platforms have over the years walked a fine line where nonconsensual sexual content is concerned. Today, X clarified just what is allowed and what is not allowed, with anything nonconsensual belonging to the latter category but nudity and “sexual behavior” getting a pass as long as someone has agreed to it.

“We believe that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed,” X said. “Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality.”

It won’t allow adult content that is exploitative, involves minors, is obscene or objectifies the person or people in the content. The content also won’t be allowed to appear in “highly visible places,” meaning banners or profile pictures. Users who post such content will have to label it, and it will appear behind an adult content warning, whether it is an image or a video. Under-18s will not be able to see such content, and there will be reporting and appealing mechanisms available.

This might be quite a bold move for X, which is seemingly never far away from public scrutiny now that Musk, often a divisive contrarian, is the owner. Moreover, sexual content being shared on the internet seems to be the topic that rings the most alarm bells. X’s liberal attitude to sex might open the company up to increased revenue, but we can expect fireworks ahead.

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