A shirtless version of Elon Musk surprisingly appeared in New York City’s Times Square as a massive effigy on Thursday (US time). The giant 40-ft-tall hot air inflatable took over the square in Midtown Manhattan ahead of SpaceX’s Nasdaq listing on June 12, which has now made the already richest person also the world’s first trillionaire.

The balloon flashed inflammatory message about Musk and his artificial intelligence company. “SpaceX’s Grok Makes AI Child Porn” was displayed on the inflatable figure’s stomach and back.

The scathing warning was also plastered on banners surrounding the giant effigy, again demanding accountability from the company following high-profile lawsuits filed against xAI after it facilitated the creation of sexually explicit images of women and children.

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Origins of mysterious Elon Musk balloon

CBS News reporter Jared Ochacher tried to investigate the origins of the giant balloon seen in the middle of Times Square. According to a video post shared by the US news outlet, the journalist was seen reaching out to workers at the scene. He asked questions about who might be responsible for the eye-grabbing stunt.

Ochacher ultimately failed to get any credible answers on the issue. The workers simply told him they had been instructed to hand out flyers, which are believed to feature QR codes.

The US outlet subsequently reported that the code redirected users to a news article about Grok. It even contacted NYC’s Street Activity Permit Office to find out who might be behind the campaign.

Ultimately, Safe AI Now (SAIN), which describes itself as a coalition of faith leaders, family advocates, child development experts, online safety organisations, educators, legal professionals and more, claimed responsibility for the installation in a press release.

“SpaceX shareholders are on the hook for every Grok lawsuit, criminal investigation, and regulatory fine that is coming. All while Musk becomes a ‘paper trillionaire’ and his investors pick up the tab,” the collective stated.

What did Times Square Elon Musk effigy intend to achieve?

The now-viral visual appeared to target the billionaire tech titan over his chatbot Grok hosted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. xAI’s creation is now inevitably owned by SpaceX following its acquisition of Musk’s AI startup.

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Earlier this year, inappropriate AI-generated photos ran amok on the SNS platform. According to a January 2026 analysis of the scandal by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), the AI tool was estimated to have generated approximately three million sexualised images, including 23,000 (over an 11-day period) that seemingly depicted children.

A new image-editing feature’s popularity exploded on X in late December 2025 after SpaceX CEO announced that it would enable X users to use Grok to edit images posted on the platform with a single click.

According to CCDH’s analysis, examples of the problematic images generated by Grok included countless images depicting people wearing transparent bikinis, women wearing only dental floss, saran wrap or transparent tape, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Ebba Busch, wearing a bikini with white fluid on her head.

Other popular public figures, including Taylor Swift, former US Vice President Kamala Harris, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Millie Bobby Brown, and many others, were also targeted in a similar fashion on social media.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.