A recent trend on X has seen users leveraging AI tools like Grok to edit photos of cosplayers and celebrities into revealing outfits, turning the feature into a tool for social media harassment and sparking widespread controversy.
Manga artist Yoichiro Tanabe, known for his long-running works related to idol groups like AKB48, fanned the flames by posting an AI-altered photo of STU48 member Riko Kudo on X, claiming it was "for drawing reference." The edit, which he specified was to "put a scarf around her neck and change her clothes to a bikini," immediately triggered a furious backlash from fans and ignited a heated online debate.
Yoichiro Tanabe is a well-known figure in the industry, having created "SASHIKO+48GROUP 4-Koma Theater Yonpachi+" a manga centered on Rino Sashihara, which was serialized in Weekly Playboy for about 11 years. He has also produced numerous other manga related to AKB48 and its sister groups.
On the evening of the 3rd, Tanabe posted the image, which was an altered version of a photo Riko Kudo had shared on X late last year. He openly shared a screenshot of the editing process, showing he had instructed Grok to "put a scarf around her neck and change her clothes to a bikini." The post was instantly slammed by users as "AI-driven sexual harassment," sparking a massive online firestorm.
The situation escalated when Riko Kudo herself retweeted the post, adding a string of "vomiting emojis" to express her profound disgust and discomfort. However, the post was not immediately taken down.
The next day (Jan. 4), fellow STU48 member Mai Nakamura stepped in, directly replying to Tanabe: "This isn't funny at all. Please stop doing this on X where anyone can see it. Please delete your previous post immediately." Only after this public demand from another group member did Tanabe finally remove the post, but by then, the criticism online had already exploded.
In fact, Tanabe and Kudo were not complete strangers, having interacted multiple times on X and at events. Just last November, Kudo had appeared as a guest at a talk and signing event for one of Tanabe's manga volumes, where the two had a conversation.
However, even with a prior acquaintance, altering and publicly posting a photo without consent is unacceptable. The incident caused a major firestorm among Japanese netizens. Although Tanabe deleted all related posts, many users remained outraged, especially since he had posted a provocative tweet (now deleted) even after the backlash began, leading to further questions about his attitude.
▼ The now-deleted provocative tweet read: "Throwing crap as you walk by while preaching about morality—that's X paradise for you."
While this incident highlights issues stemming from Grok's features, it's baffling why a professional manga artist, who was not even a stranger to the person involved, would engage in this kind of "AI sexual harassment" online. Perhaps only a public statement from Tanabe himself can shed light on his bizarre actions.
This case involves the harassment of a professional idol, and it's likely her management or agency will take action, especially given the issues of portrait rights. The incident underscores the growing problem of AI-driven harassment on X, which is rapidly becoming a serious social issue.
▼ Update:
On the evening of the 5th, manga artist Yoichiro Tanabe issued a public apology on his personal X account. The official STU48 X account also announced that it would be taking measures to address similar incidents in the future.
