X could be banned in UK amid sexualised AI images concerns
Elon Musk’s X could be banned in the UK over concerns the AI tool is being used to create sexualized images of women and children, the Prime Minister has suggested.
Sir Keir Starmer stated that the social media platform may be blocked in the UK after “illegal” and “disgusting” images were produced using the artificial intelligence “Grok” tool.
The Prime Minister said Ofcom, which has the power to effectively ban X in the UK, had the government’s “full support in taking action” on the issue.
He told Greatest Hits Radio: “This is illegal. We will not tolerate it. I wanted all options on the table. This is disgusting. X needs to step up and put this material to rest.”
“We will take action on this because this is absolutely unacceptable.”
The platform has faced global backlash in recent days after its AI tool was repeatedly used to create nude images of people without permission.
Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) also confirmed that the tool was used to create “criminal images of children aged 11 to 13”.
Ofcom said on Monday it had made “urgent contact” with the tech company after serious concerns were raised.
Powers under the Online Safety Act state that in extreme cases and with the concurrence of the courts, Ofcom can require payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers to stop working with a site, effectively banning it from the UK.
The government has been under pressure to quit the social media platform altogether, with former transport secretary Louise Haigh telling ministers it was “inappropriate to use the site for another minute”.
On Friday minister Anna Turley confirmed “discussions are ongoing” regarding X’s departure.
Asked whether Labor would leave X, the party leader said: “As I said, these discussions are happening because, you know, it’s really important that we make sure we’re in a safe space. But the priority is that X needs to get its act together first.”
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that this is absolutely disgusting. Ofcom has the authority to deal with this and we want to ensure that they use the authority that we have given them. But of course we will continue to evaluate it and certainly move forward.”
A post on the Grok
However, the Grok account now responds to image requests with a message stating that this account is only available to some users.
“Image creation and editing is currently limited to paying subscribers,” the message reads, and gives users a link to sign up for the premium version of X.
