Government says changes to Grok ‘insulting’ and urges Ofcom to update ‘in days’

The government said changes to chatbot Grok were “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence and called for regulator Ofcom to take next steps within days amid concerns about deepfakes.

Elon Musk’s social media site X has faced backlash following reports that its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot encouraged users to create sexualized images of people, including children.

People who make such requests are now told that only paid subscribers can do so; This means their name and payment information must be on file.

No 10 said this would make deepfake creation a “premium service” and “not a solution”, but the social media site proved X could move quickly at will.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has called on Ofcom, which is investigating X and xAI, the firm founded by Elon Musk and which created Grok, to provide an update on what action it plans to take “within days, not weeks”.

He said he would support the regulator in effectively blocking the site in the UK if it did not comply with the law.

Meanwhile, a committee of MPs has called for a clear timeline on when the Government’s planned ban on nudification tools will be introduced and raised concerns about loopholes in the Online Safety Act when it comes to productive AI.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the changes to Grok “transform an AI feature that enables the creation of illegal images into a world-class service”.

“This is not a solution, it is actually an insult to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.

“This proves that X can move quickly whenever he wants.”

He added: “If another media company had billboards in city centers featuring illegal images, it would have taken immediate action to remove them or face public backlash.”

He reiterated that “all options” were on the table, including Ofcom using its powers to “take any action”.

The Minister of Technology later said: “The sexual manipulation of women and children is despicable and disgusting.

“It is an insult and completely unacceptable for Grok to allow this to happen if you are prepared to pay the price for it. “I expect Ofcom to use all the statutory powers that Parliament has given them.

“I, and importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom’s update on next steps within days, not weeks.”

Ofcom has the power to fine businesses up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue and take criminal action under the Online Safety Act.

It can also order payment providers, advertisers, and internet service providers to stop working with a site, effectively banning it, but this requires approval from the courts.

“I would like to remind xAI that the Online Safety Act includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK if they refuse to comply with UK law. If Ofcom decides to use these powers, they will have our full support,” Ms Kendall added.

He also highlighted plans to ban nudification practices as part of the Crime and Policing Bill passing Parliament, and said powers to criminalize the creation of intimate images without consent would come into force in the coming weeks.

The Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has written to Ms Kendall and Ofcom seeking clarity on what action to take and calling for the Online Safety Act to be amended to explicitly cover generative AI.

Committee chair Dame Chi Onwurah said: “My committee warned last year that the Online Safety Act was riddled with loopholes, including its failure to clearly regulate productive AI.

“The latest reports on these deepfakes show most clearly how UK citizens are exposed to harm online while social media companies operate with apparent impunity.”

He asked Ofcom why it had not launched an investigation or imposed sanctions yet.

The Liberal Democrats called on Ofcom to immediately block X from operating in the UK and for the National Crime Agency to launch a criminal investigation into the site.

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith, meanwhile, rejected the idea of ​​boycotting or banning X, telling the Press Association: “You have to be where the debate is, it’s all social media.”

US congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna from Florida has threatened to introduce legislation that would sanction Sir Keir and “the UK as a whole” if the UK bans X.

In response, Sir Keir’s spokesman said the Government was focused on stopping the creation of illegal images on the site.

An internet safety organization said its analysts confirmed the existence of “incriminating images of children” aged between 11 and 13 that appear to have been created using Grok.

Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said: “We don’t believe it’s good enough to simply limit access to a tool that should never have been capable of creating the kinds of images we’ve seen in recent days.

“Companies must ensure that the products they produce and provide to the global public are safe by design.

“If this means governments and regulators need to force them to design safer vehicles, then that’s what needs to happen. It’s unacceptable to sit back and wait for unsafe products to be abused before taking action.”

Mr Musk has previously insisted that “anyone using Grok to create illegal content will be subject to the same consequences as if they had uploaded illegal content”.

X said it would take action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, “by removing such content, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement where necessary.”