The UK government has warned it could take action against Elon Musk’s social media platform X and its built in artificial intelligence tool Grok amid growing concerns about the generation of sexualised images involving women and children.
The dispute centres on Grok’s image editing capabilities. Users have reportedly exploited the tool to create manipulated images that depict real people in sexualised scenarios without their consent. Some of the content has involved minors, sparking widespread alarm among politicians and child protection groups. Media regulator Ofcom has made urgent contact with X and xAI, the company behind Grok, to establish whether the platform is complying with its legal duties to protect users in the UK.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said that X was failing to do enough to keep its customers safe online and that the government would support any steps taken by Ofcom, including the possibility of blocking the platform in the UK if it proved non compliant with safety laws. He described the alleged misuse of the AI tool as disgusting and said the regulator had a range of powers under the Online Safety Act, from heavy fines to court orders requiring a blockage of the service.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has voiced similar concerns, stressing that sexually manipulative deepfake imagery was despicable and abhorrent. Ministers have called for swift enforcement action, with some suggesting that a ban on Grok’s image generation functions or even the platform itself could be justified if effective safeguards are not introduced.
In response to the controversy, X restricted Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers only. The move was criticised by Downing Street, which said it risked turning harmful deepfake creation into a premium service rather than addressing the underlying problem.
Author: Abel Vazquez Sanchez