Musk hits out at ‘fascist’ UK as row over X and its Grok AI escalates
Elon Musk has accused Sir Keir Starmer’s government of being “fascist” after ministers stepped up threats to ban social media site X over sexualized images created by artificial intelligence.
The tech mogul claimed critics of the
Responding to a chart showing arrest figures for online posts, with the UK at the top, Mr Musk said: “Why is the UK government so fascist?”
“They want every excuse for censorship,” he previously wrote on X, pointing to claims that other AI programs have created sexually explicit images of women in bikinis.
Criticisms of X have focused on Grok’s production of child abuse images and manipulation of photos of real women and girls to remove their clothing.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she would support the regulator if Ofcom decides to effectively block X if it does not comply with UK law, saying: “The sexual manipulation of women and children is despicable and disgusting.”
Ofcom said it carried out an “expedited assessment” after xAI, the creator of X and Grok, responded to communication from the regulator.
But Mr Musk responded by sharing a post from US legislator Anna Paulina Luna threatening to impose sanctions on both Sir Keir Starmer and the UK if X was blocked in the country.
On Friday, X appeared to have changed Grok’s settings; The chatbot told users that only paid subscribers could ask it to change images.
However, reports suggested that this only applied to those who made requests in response to other posts, and other ways to edit or create images remained open, including a separate Grok website.
Ms Kendall said it was “absolutely unacceptable for Grok to allow this if you are prepared to pay the price”, adding that an update on Ofcom’s next steps was expected “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.
Ms Kendall also highlighted plans to ban nudity practices under the Crime and Policing Bill passed by Parliament, and said powers to criminalize the creation of intimate images without consent would come into force in the coming weeks.
The UK Government’s criticism of X was supported by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Speaking in Canberra, he said: “The use of generative AI to exploit or sexualize people without their consent is abhorrent.”
