Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X following reports its AI chatbot Grok created and shared sexualised images of children.
The media watchdog said it had "urgently" made contact with the social media platform on January 5 and set a "firm deadline" of January 9 for it to "explain what steps it has taken to comply with its duties to protect its users in the UK".
It followed reports that Grok was being used to create images of undressed people sexualised images of children.
Ofcom said X had responded by its deadline and it then carried out an expedited assessment of available evidence as a "matter of urgency".
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A spokesman for the watchdog said: “Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning.
"Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.
“We’ll progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority, while ensuring we follow due process.
"As the UK’s independent online safety enforcement agency, it’s important we make sure our investigations are legally robust and fairly decided.”
Elon Musk has accused the Government of being 'fascist and trying to curb free speech
|REUTERS
Ministers have expressed their disgust at the use of Grok to make deepfakes and said they would back Ofcom if it decided to block access to X for failing to comply with online safety laws.
Indonesia and Malaysia announced bans on Grok over the weekend.
Malaysia cited "repeated misuse" of the tool to generate "obscene, sexually explicit, indecent, grossly offensive, and non-consensual manipulated images", while Indonesia's communications and digital ministry said it had banned access to protect women and children from AI-generated fake pornographic content, citing strict anti‑pornography laws.
Sir Keir Starmer said last week he backed Ofcom to take action against X and that he had asked for “all options to be on the table”.
He told Greatest Hits Radio: “This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated.
“X has got to get a grip of this. Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong.
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Sir Keir Starmer said last week he had asked for 'all options to be on the table' over concerns about the use of the AI tool
|PA
“It’s unlawful. We’re not going to tolerate it. I’ve asked for all options to be on the table.
“It’s disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.”
Tech tycoon Mr Musk, the boss of Grok’s creator xAI and X, has accused the Government of being “fascist” and trying to curb free speech.
He previously insisted that “anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content”.
Grok said in an earlier post to its X account that there have been “isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing”, adding: “xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall is set to give a statement to MPs in the Commons today over concerns on the use of the AI tool.
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