Apple Tightens App Store Rules to Ban 'Nudify' AI Apps

LATEST MATERIAL CHANGE

What changed?

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to explicitly prohibit “nudify” applications that use artificial intelligence to create intimate images of individuals without their consent. The change comes after widespread criticism of the company’s handling of the AI tool Grok, which users on the social platform X employed earlier this year to produce nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes, including those involving minors. While Apple has not removed Grok or X from the App Store, it has warned senators that it could pull Grok if necessary. Protesters at the company’s WWDC event in June demanded the removal of Grok, X, and all nudify technology, and a San Francisco city attorney later ordered Apple to delete 13 nudify apps from the store. The new rule aims to curb the creation of harmful, nonconsensual content and address growing concerns about AI‑generated privacy violations.

Why it matters

The update signals Apple’s effort to prevent AI‑driven nonconsensual image creation, protecting users’ privacy and reducing the spread of deepfakes that can harm individuals, especially minors.