In a concerning development, the UK government has demanded that Elon Musk’s X platform urgently address the issue of its AI chatbot Grok being used to create non-consensual sexualised images of women and girls. The situation has been described as “absolutely appalling” by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who has vowed that the proliferation of these “degrading images” will not be tolerated.
Ofcom, the media regulator, has made “urgent contact” with Musk’s company xAI and is investigating reports that Grok has been producing “undressed images” of people without their consent. Kendall has endorsed Ofcom’s actions, stating that it is “absolutely right” that the regulator is looking into this matter with urgency and that she fully backs any enforcement measures deemed necessary.
The issue has sparked outrage among X users, with women describing the experience of having their personal images sexualised by Grok as “dehumanising”. Dr Daisy Dixon, one of the many female X users affected, has expressed feelings of “shock”, “humiliation”, and fear for her safety after discovering that her pictures had been altered without her consent.
In response, X has stated that it takes action against illegal content, including the removal of such material, permanent account suspensions, and collaboration with local authorities as required. However, Dr Dixon has expressed frustration with the platform’s lack of accountability, noting that her and others’ reports of inappropriate AI-generated content have been met with claims of no violations of X’s rules.
Kendall has emphasised that service providers have a clear obligation to act appropriately, stressing that this is not about restricting freedom of speech but rather upholding the law. The Online Safety Act has made intimate image abuse and cyberflagging priority offences, meaning that platforms must prevent such content from appearing online and swiftly remove it if it does.
The issue has also drawn attention from European officials, with a spokesman for the European Commission’s tech sovereignty team describing the situation as “appalling” and “disgusting”, and warning that “the Wild West is over in Europe”. Companies, he said, have an obligation to be responsible and remove any illegal content generated by their AI tools.
As the investigation continues, the government and regulators have vowed to take swift and decisive action to address this concerning development and protect vulnerable individuals from the harmful effects of non-consensual deepfakes.
