UK threatens tough action against X after Grok AI abuse revelations

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the government is prepared to take the strongest possible action against X after it emerged that child sexual abuse images had been generated using the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, The Telegraph reports.

Sir Keir said he had asked media regulator Ofcom to ensure that “all options [are] on the table,” including the full enforcement powers of the Online Safety Act, which allow for multi-billion-pound fines or even blocking access to X in the UK. The platform has around 650 million users worldwide, including approximately 20 million in Britain.

“This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting and it’s not to be tolerated,” the Prime Minister said. “X need to get their act together and get this material down – and we will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.”

The warning follows revelations that X users have continued to generate thousands of AI-produced images of women and children, often undressed or posed in sexualised contexts, using Grok. The so-called deepfakes have included images of the Princess of Wales, cabinet ministers, MPs and celebrities.

On January 7, a UK internet watchdog revealed it had identified Grok-generated images shared on a dark-web forum that would constitute illegal child sexual abuse material. Downing Street has since raised the issue directly with X, formerly Twitter, which was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022 for $44bn (£33bn).

Sir Keir told Greatest Hits Radio: “X has got to get a grip of this and Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong. It’s unlawful. We’re not going to tolerate it. I’ve asked for all options to be on the table.”

The dispute threatens to deepen tensions between the UK and the United States over free speech. The White House has accused Labour of undermining freedom of expression, while Donald Trump has criticised the UK’s tech regulations as “not a good thing.”

On January 9, US Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B Rogers said: “Deepfakes are a troubling, frontier issue that call for tailored, thoughtful responses. Erecting a ‘Great Wall’ to ban X, or lobotomizing AI, is neither tailored nor thoughtful. We stand ready to work with the UK on better ideas.”

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can seek court orders requiring internet providers or app stores to block platforms that repeatedly fail to remove illegal content. While the regulator has never exercised this power, it warned this week that it could launch a formal investigation into X, confirming it had made “urgent contact” with the company.

Musk, who has criticised the Act as a tool for “suppression of the people,” said: “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”

By Vafa Guliyeva