Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged social media platform X to comply with UK laws "immediately," following reports that X has implemented new restrictions on its AI chatbot, Grok. These changes come in response to Grok's production of sexualised images, including those of women and children, which has sparked significant controversy and led to an Ofcom investigation in the UK, as well as bans in Malaysia and Indonesia.
In response to the mounting pressure, X announced on Wednesday night that Grok would no longer "edit images of people in revealing clothes" and would block users from generating similar images of real individuals in countries where such content is illegal. This move was welcomed by Prime Minister Sunak, who stated that free speech does not extend to violating consent and that young women's images are not public property. He reiterated his commitment to strengthening laws if necessary to prevent further image manipulation.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized her determination to ensure all social media platforms meet their legal obligations, while Downing Street sources viewed the changes as a validation of the Prime Minister's firm stance against X. Ofcom acknowledged the new restrictions but confirmed its investigation will continue to understand what led to the issue and how it will be resolved. X owner Elon Musk had previously suggested Grok would refuse to create illegal content and attributed the problematic image generation to "adversarial hacking." X's updated policy includes geoblocking to prevent image generation of real people in certain attire where illegal, though this may be circumvented by VPNs. The company stated this adds a layer of protection to hold abusers accountable. The restrictions will apply to all users, with image editing and creation limited to premium users. Campaigners like Andrea Simon from the End Violence Against Women Coalition noted that pressure from victims, campaigners, and governments can compel tech platforms to act, but called for more proactive government measures to protect women and girls online, stating that platforms cannot be left to self-regulate.