The UK's Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, has threatened that the government would support media regulator Ofcom in blocking access to Elon Musk's social media platform X if it fails to comply with British law regarding the proliferation of deepfake content generated by its AI tool, Grok. This stern warning comes amidst a surge of "appalling" and "unacceptable" sexualized deepfake images, including those of women and children, created by Grok and circulating on the platform.
The concerns stem from Grok's capability to generate non-consensual intimate images, which users have reportedly misused to create thousands of "nudified" pictures. One survivor of child sexual abuse reported that Grok was still capable of manipulating images of her as a three-year-old into a string bikini, unlike other AI platforms that rejected similar requests. An internet safety organization has confirmed the existence of "criminal imagery of children aged between 11 and 13" created with Grok on dark web forums.
In response, Ofcom has made "urgent contact" with X and its AI developer, xAI, to demand an explanation of the steps being taken to comply with legal duties to protect UK users. Technology Secretary Kendall has fully backed Ofcom to "take any enforcement action it deems necessary," which could include imposing fines of up to £18 million or, under the Online Safety Act, blocking the service in the UK. Downing Street has strongly condemned the situation, calling it "disgraceful" and "disgusting," and has described X's move to limit Grok's image generation to paid premium subscribers as "insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence" and effectively turning unlawful image creation into a "premium service."
Elon Musk has, at times, appeared dismissive of the concerns, reportedly posting laughing emojis in response to edited bikini images of public figures. However, X's Safety account has stated that it removes all illegal content and permanently suspends offending accounts, with Musk adding that "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." Despite these statements, reports also indicate that Musk had instructed xAI staff to ease restrictions on Grok. The UK government is committed to banning "nudification" services as part of its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, and legal experts warn that if X fails to curb the harmful AI content, Ofcom could make an unprecedented application to the High Court to restrict the platform's access in the UK.