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The UK government called on Elon Musk’s social network X, on Tuesday, to act immediately after its AI tool, Grok, was used to generate fake sexually explicit images of children.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described the recent online content as “absolutely appalling and unacceptable in decent society” and stressed that X must address the issue urgently.
Grok has faced growing international criticism for enabling users to produce sexualised deepfakes of women and minors through its so-called “spicy mode”. On Monday, the European Commission said it was “very seriously” examining complaints about the tool.
The UK media regulator Ofcom is also investigating X and xAI, the company behind Grok. Kendall affirmed that Ofcom “has my full backing to take any enforcement action it deems necessary”.
Under the UK Online Safety Act, which came into force in July, websites, social media, and video-sharing platforms hosting potentially harmful content must implement strict age verification, using methods such as facial recognition or credit card checks. The law also prohibits the creation or sharing of non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated sexual deepfakes.
The act allows fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s global revenue or £18 million ($24 million), whichever is higher, for non-compliance. The government has also pledged to ban “nudification” tools that digitally remove clothing from photographs.
On Friday, Grok acknowledged “lapses in safeguards” in its AI tool and said it was working “urgently” to fix the issues.
