Elon Musk In Trouble Over AI-Generated S3xual Images Of Women, Children
The UK government has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X after its AI chatbot, Grok, was used to generate sexualised deepfake images, raising serious concerns about online safety and potential breaches of British law.
UK media regulator Ofcom said on Monday that it had opened the probe following reports that Grok’s image creation feature allowed users to produce and share sexualised images of women and children using simple text prompts.
The regulator described the reports as “deeply concerning,” warning that such content could constitute intimate image abuse or pornography, while sexualised images of children may amount to child sexual abuse material, according to AFP.
According to Ofcom, it contacted X on January 5, requesting an explanation of the measures the company has taken to protect UK users.
While the regulator did not disclose details of the response, it confirmed that X replied within the stipulated timeframe.
However, the investigation will assess whether the platform has “failed to comply with its legal obligations.”
The probe comes under Britain’s Online Safety Act, which took effect in July and requires platforms hosting potentially harmful content to implement strict age-verification measures, including tools such as facial recognition or credit card checks.
The law also criminalises the creation or sharing of non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated sexual deepfakes.
Ofcom has the authority to impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s global revenue for violations of the rules.
Amid growing international backlash, Grok last week announced a new monetisation policy, stating that the image-generation tool would be “limited to paying subscribers,” alongside a link to a premium subscription.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the move, describing it as an affront to victims and “not a solution.”
International scrutiny has intensified, with Indonesia on Saturday becoming the first country to block all access to the tool, followed by Malaysia on Sunday.
The European Commission has also said it is reviewing complaints related to Grok.
