Plenty of people have said that Elon Musk is full of hot air. This version of him actually is. On Thursday, a 40-foot-tall inflatable version of the billionaire popped up in Times Square in New York City, the same day the company\u2019s initial public offering is expected to take off. You\u2019ll be shocked to know the inflatable is not exactly celebratory.<\/p>\n
The balloon depicts Elon Musk shirtless (a thing we\u2019ve all seen, so we can say that the inflatable is shockingly close to being an accurate representation of his physique) with tattoos on his body. On both his stomach and his back was the message, \u201cSpaceX\u2019s Grok Makes AI Child Porn.\u201d That text was repeated on banners that surrounded the display.<\/p>\n
That particular messaging would seem to have two goals: First, to remind everyone of Grok\u2019s use to generate non-consensual nude images, including those of children<\/a>. While Grok is not the only AI model capable of generating inappropriate images, it is the one with the least effective guardrails, as reportedly requested<\/a> by the company\u2019s CEO.<\/p>\n The second purpose of the message is to associate Grok with SpaceX, now that xAI has been rolled into the rocket company. Despite Musk\u2019s ownership of the company and his own personal tarnished reputation<\/a>, SpaceX itself remains quite popular<\/a>. When Musk merged his AI lab with SpaceX, it allowed him to launder the negative impression people have of Grok through a company with a high approval rating. Linking Grok to SpaceX serves as a reminder that they are, in fact, one and the same now.<\/p>\n The inflatable also features a heart-shaped tattoo with the word \u201cKetamine,\u201d the supposed drug of choice for Musk that he was reportedly using so frequently as a recreational hallucinogen that he was starting to suffer from bladder problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n A giant inflatable Elon Musk popped up in Times Square and its origins are so far unknown. @JaredOchacher<\/a> went there to try and get answers. #newyork<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yBFHY6f7Z5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CBS News (@CBSNews) June 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Per Wired<\/a>, the inflatable was the work of Safe AI Now (SAIN)<\/a>, which issued a press release related to the inflatable. \u201cSpaceX shareholders are on the hook for every Grok lawsuit, criminal investigation, and regulatory fine that is coming. All while Musk becomes a \u2018paper trillionaire\u2019 and his investors pick up the tab,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n The inflatable seems unlikely to have much of an effect on the SpaceX IPO. According to NBC<\/a>, the company will go public with a price of $135 per share, making it the largest IPO on record.<\/p>\n \n