Britain’s media regulator launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X on Monday to determine whether sexually intimate deepfakes produced by its Grok AI chatbot violated its duty to protect people in the UK from content that could be illegal.
“There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material,” Ofcom said in a statement.
The regulator is under pressure to act after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the images produced by Grok were “disgusting” and “unlawful”.
When asked for comment on Monday on the launch of the formal investigation, X pointed to a previous statement in which it said it takes action against illegal content on the platform — including child sexual abuse material — by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” it said.
Grok images are disgusting: Starmer
The regulator is under pressure to act after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday the images produced by Grok were “disgusting” and “unlawful”.
Musk’s X had to “get a grip” on Grok, Starmer said.
Asked on Monday whether X could be banned, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Yes, of course,” but he noted that the power to do so lay with Ofcom.
Creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated sexual imagery, is illegal in Britain.
Additionally, tech platforms must prevent British users from encountering illegal content and remove it once they become aware of it.
X has faced condemnation in other countries over the feature, which can produce images of women and minors in skimpy clothing.
French officials have reported X to prosecutors and regulators, calling the content “manifestly illegal”, while Indian authorities have also demanded explanations.
X said it has restricted requests to undress people in images to paying users.
Asked about the subject recently, xAI told Reuters: “Legacy Media Lies.”
Ofcom will investigate whether X failed to assess the risk that people in Britain would see illegal content, and whether it considered the risk to children.
Ofcom said in the most serious cases of non-compliance, it could ask a court to require “payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform”, or make internet service providers block access to a site in Britain.
X did not immediately reply to a request to comment on the Ofcom investigation.
British Technology Minister Liz Kendall welcomed Ofcom’s investigation.
“It is vital that Ofcom complete this investigation swiftly because the public and most importantly the victims will not accept any delay,” Kendall said in a statement.
“The content created and shared using Grok in recent days has been deeply disturbing,” she said, adding that she would update parliament later on Monday.
