UK Government threatens action against X as Grok AI generates sexualized deepfakes of minors

UK Prime Minister says 'we will take action' on Grok's disgusting deepfakes

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the country will take action against X following reports that the platform's Grok AI chatbot is generating sexualized deepfakes of adults and minors, as reported earlier by The Telegraph and Sky News. "It's disgusting," Starmer says during an interview with Greatest Hits Radio. "X need[s] to get their act together and get this material down. And we will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable." Last month, X launched a feature that allows people to use Grok to edit any image on the platform without permission. The rollout resulted in a flood of AI deepfakes undressing women and, in some instances, children. "We're not going to tolerate it," Starmer adds. "I've asked for all options to be on the table." The UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, began investigating whether X is in violation of the country's Online Safety Act, which holds online platforms accountable for hosting harmful content, Politico reported last week. "Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," An Ofcom spokesperson told Politico at the time. X has said that "anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content." X didn't immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment.

UK's Starmer Threatens Musk's X With Action Over Child Images

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed action and demanded Elon Musk's X urgently "get their act together" over sexualized images of children produced by its artificial intelligence tool Grok. "This is disgraceful, it's disgusting and it's not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this," the premier said. "We will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable," he added, describing the images as "unlawful." X, formerly known as Twitter, has become a top site for images of people that have been non-consensually undressed by AI, according to third-party analysis, with thousands of instances each hour over a day earlier this week. The UK watchdog responsible for flagging online child sexual-abuse material to law enforcement agencies said earlier it had found "criminal" images on the dark web allegedly generated by Grok. The dark web images depict "sexualized and topless" images of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 and meet the bar for action by law enforcement, the Internet Watch Foundation said. XAI operates Grok and the social media platform X. "Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this," Starmer said, referring to the British media regulator, which said earlier this week that it was investigating the allegations and had made contact with Musk's company over the reports.

Ofcom urged to use 'banning' powers over X AI deepfakes

The possibility there could be sexualised images of children raised very specific concerns in government. Addressing concerns over sexualised images of adults and children produced by Grok, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "This is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated... Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this." "It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table," he added in an interview with Greatest Hits Radio. Government sources told BBC News: "We would expect Ofcom to use all powers at its disposal with regards to Grok & X." Ofcom's powers under the Online Safety Act have been rarely used, but include a "very strong" ability to ask the High Court to effectively ban offending companies by preventing their access to technology and to funding through advertisers and other payments. That process normally requires an investigation, but can be short-circuited where there are serious harms, risks to children, and histories of non-compliance. A new Ofcom chair is also in the process of being recruited. They will be expected to take a much more robust approach to these matters amid newer concerns about internet safety and national security, arising from new technology and types of ownership. The Online Safety Act is also at the centre of some concerns from the Trump administration about the impact on US tech firms. On Monday, Ofcom said it had made "urgent contact" with X and xAI, which built Grok, and told the BBC it was investigating concerns. It is currently illegal to share deepfakes of adults, external in the UK. In an earlier statement, X said: "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."

No 10 condemns move by X to restrict Grok AI image creation tool as insulting

Spokesperson says limiting access to subscribers just makes ability to generate unlawful images a premium service Downing Street has condemned the move by X to restrict its AI image creation tool responsible for a wave of explicit picture to paying subscribers only as insulting, saying it simply made the ability to generate unlawful images a premium service. There has been widespread anger after the image tool for Grok, the AI element of X, was used to manipulate thousands of images of women and sometimes children to remove their clothing or put them in sexual positions. Grok announced in post on X, which is owned by Elon Musk, that the ability to generate and edit images would be "limited to paying subscribers". Those who pay have to provide personal details, meaning they could potentially be identified if the function was misused. Asked about the change, however, a Downing Street spokesperson said it was unacceptable. "The move simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service," they said. "It's not a solution. In fact, it's insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so. You heard the prime minister yesterday. He was abundantly clear that X needs to act, and needs to act now. It is time for X to grip this issue. "If another media company had billboards in town centres showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash." Asked if No 10 was going to take any further action, such as leaving X, the spokesperson said "all options are on the table", and that it would support any action taken by Ofcom, the UK's media regulator. Speaking earlier on Friday, Anna Turley, the Labour party chair and a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, said there were no moves as yet for the government to leave X, but individual ministers were considering doing so. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's really, really important that we tackle this. Those conversations are ongoing across government. I think all of us in politics are evaluating our use of social media and how we do that, and I know that conversation is happening." Asked if she would leave the site, Turley said: "I've thought about that a lot over the past few months." Asked whether the Labour party would do so, she said: "Those conversations are taking place because it's really important that we make sure that we're in a safe space."

U.K. says ban on Elon Musk's X platform "on the table" over Grok AI sexualized images

London -- U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday that he wants "all options to be on the table," including a potential ban on Elon Musk's X platform in Britain, over the use of its artificial intelligence tool Grok to generate sexualized images of people without their consent. Starmer's remarks come as Musk's platform faces scrutiny from regulators across the globe over Grok's image editing tool, which has allowed users to create digitally altered, sexualized photos of real people, including minors. "This is disgraceful, it's disgusting and it's not to be tolerated. X has got to get a grip of this," Starmer said in an interview with a U.K. radio station. "It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table." A source in Starmer's office reiterated to CBS News on Friday that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to regulating X in Britain. CBS News has verified that Grok fulfilled user requests asking it to edit images of women to show them in bikinis or little clothing, including prominent public figures such as first lady Melania Trump. Last week, Grok, a chatbot developed by Musk's company xAI, acknowledged "lapses in safeguards" that allowed users to generate digitally altered, sexualized photos of minors. Grok told users that as of Friday, access to its image generation tool was limited "to paying subscribers" of its user verification service. Paying subscribers have to provide their credit card and personal details to the company, which could dissuade some people from using the service, especially if they had intended to use Grok's AI tool to create illegal images of minors. xAI responded to a CBS News request for comment to criticism of Grok's image generation tool and steps it had taken to limit access to it on Friday, by saying: "Legacy media lies." Addressing reporters on Friday morning, a U.K. government spokesperson called the move to limit access to Grok's image editing tool to paying users "insulting" to victims of misogyny and sexual violence, saying it, "simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service." Under the U.K. Online Safety Act, sharing intimate images without consent on social media is a criminal offense, and social media companies are required to proactively remove such content, as well as prevent it from appearing in the first place. If they fail to do so, the companies can face hefty fines or, in last resort cases, face what would effectively be a ban by Britain's independent media regulator Ofcom. Ofcom can compel payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers to stop working with a site, preventing it from generating money or being accessed from the U.K. In a post shared Monday on its own X account, Ofcom said it was "aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children." "We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," Ofcom said. Musk's platform has faced scrutiny from governments around the world, including the European Union and the U.S. Congress, over Grok AI's digital alteration of real images. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Ted Cruz said in a post on X that "many of the recent AI-generated posts are unacceptable and a clear violation of my legislation -- now law -- the Take It Down Act, as well as X's terms and conditions." "These unlawful images pose a serious threat to victims' privacy and dignity. They should be taken down and guardrails should be put in place," Cruz said, adding that he was encouraged by steps taken by X to remove unlawful images. On Thursday, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, threatened to sanction the U.K. government if Starmer moved to ban X in the U.K. "If Starmer is successful in banning @X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole," Paulina Luna said in a post on her own X account.

UK ministers considering leaving X amid concern over AI tool images

Labour party chair says government having conversations about use of platform in light of sexualised Grok images UK ministers are considering leaving X as a result of the controversy over the platform's AI tool, which has been allowing users to generate digitally altered pictures of people - including children - with their clothes removed. Anna Turley, the chair of the Labour party and a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, said on Friday that conversations were happening within the government and Labour about their continued use of the social media platform, which is controlled by Elon Musk. The government has come under mounting pressure to leave X after the site was flooded with images including sexualised and unclothed pictures of children generated by its AI tool, Grok. Turley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "X, first and foremost, has to get its act together and prevent this. It has the powers to do this, and we need to make sure there are firm consequences for that. She added: "It's really, really important that we tackle this. Those conversations are ongoing across government. I think all of us in politics are evaluating our use of social media and how we do that, and I know that conversation is happening." Asked if she would personally leave the site, Turley said: "I've thought about that a lot over the past few months." And asked whether the Labour party would do so, she added: "Those conversations are taking place because it's really important that we make sure that we're in a safe space." On Friday, X said it was limiting the use of Grok's image creating tool to paid users only. The government has so far resisted calls to stop using the social media platform, focusing instead on the powers that the media regulator Ofcom has to take action against X under the Online Safety Act. Those powers include preventing the company having access to certain technology and funding, which could amount to a de facto ban in the UK. Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said on Thursday: "X has got to get a grip of this. And Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong. "It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table." Some prominent MPs and committees have announced they will stop using X, including the women and equalities committee, whose chair Sarah Owen said this week the site was "not an appropriate platform to be using for our communications". Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, on Thursday called for the government to leave the platform, saying it would be "unconscionable" to use it "for another minute". Others, however, are urging the government to remain on the site, which says it has more than 500 million monthly active users and remains one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. James Lyons, a former director of communications to Starmer, told the PoliticsHome podcast this week: "I take the view that your job in political communication is to persuade people. "And to persuade people, you have to engage, and I think you should be using all the platforms and forums that you can to do that." None of the major parties have yet left the site. Asked this week whether he would stop taking payments from X for his posts, the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, declined to answer, saying he was "very worried" about the images on the site but believed the company would listen to criticism.

'Get a grip' on Grok, Starmer tells X after AI tool is used for child sex images

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool producing sexualised images of children will not be tolerated and is "disgusting" and "unlawful", the prime minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer said social media platform X has "got to get a grip of" its AI tool, Grok, and that he's asked media regulator, Ofcom, for "all options to be on the table". It follows reports from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) that criminals have been using Grok to create child sexual abuse imagery. Politics live - follow latest Grok is an AI tool that X users can instruct to find out information, answer questions and create images. The IWF revealed this week it had discovered criminal sexualised imagery of children aged between 11 and 13 that had been created by Grok. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio on Thursday, the prime minister said: "This is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's not to be tolerated. "X has got to get a grip of this. And Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong." X and xAI - which produces Grok - are both owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, and have been under fire for a number of days after a new feature led to users seeing AI-generated sexualised images of themselves on X. Sir Keir added: "It's unlawful. We're not going to tolerate it. I've asked for all options to be on the table. "It's disgusting. And X need to get their act together and get this material down. And we will take action on this because it's simply not tolerable." Earlier in the day, former Labour cabinet minister Louise Haigh urged the PM and the rest of government to quit the social media platform. She said: "I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality." Asked whether the government could stop using X on Wednesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "All options are on the table." They replied the same way when asked whether the prime minister was accepting images like this by continuing to use X. But the spokesperson added that Ofcom had their "full backing to take action on failings by firms". Ofcom has asked X to clarify how it is complying with data protection law over the AI images. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall called on X to take "urgent" action earlier this week. Sky News has contacted X for comment. The site's Safety account earlier this week read: "We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."

The UK could ban X over the Grok generative image fiasco

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the situation as "intolerable". It's not a secret that many are unhappy with how Grok has been implemented on X, as it has been discovered that the AI can be asked to complete all kinds of actions, often without someone's consent. The latest trend has seen regular images made sexual by putting clothed individuals in underwear without their consent, and it has even become so bad in some situations where sexualised images of children can be found in the AI's media. The list of folk unhappy with Grok right now is quite long, including the UK's communications regulator Ofcom, who recently launched plans to investigate X and Grok to determine if it infringes and breaks laws in the country. Now, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken on this matter too and signaled his support of Ofcom and how if it came to it out of necessity, X could be banned in the UK. As per Greatest Hits Radio (thanks, The Independent), Starmer stated the following: "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." As for whether these actions could include a country-wide ban, Starmer noted that he has given Ofcom the "full support" of the government to "take action". As it stands, image generation on Grok is limited to accounts that pay for a subscription to X, meaning there is fewer crudely generated media on the platform. However, you don't need to spend much time on the platform to find the AI being used in questionable ways...