The UK’s online safety regulator, Ofcom, has formally opened a probe into social media platform X over its integrated AI assistant, Grok, after it generated sexualised images of women and children. The government has already said it would support a ban on X in the UK if it came to that.
Ofcom said that it had launched a formal investigation following a preliminary assessment conducted as a matter of urgency after being in contact with the platform.
The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, has come under fire worldwide after its AI assistant, Grok, generated pornographic images of women. The UK-based Internet Watch Foundation told Euractiv some of the material also depicted children aged 11 to 13.
X later restricted image generation to paying users, but UK technology secretary Liz Kendall said it was “totally unacceptable for Grok to still allow this if you’re willing to pay for it.”
The probe is focusing on whether X has complied with its obligations to prevent illegal content from being shared on its platform and to remove it once identified. Child sexual abuse material is classified as “priority” illegal content under UK law, meaning platforms face heightened obligations to prevent its spread. The regulator also highlighted duties to protect affected users’ privacy and to deploy age-assurance measures to prevent children accessing pornographic content.
“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” An Ofcom spokesperson said.
If Ofcom concludes that X has failed to protect users, sanctions could extend as far as a ban on the platform in the UK. The government has said it would support the regulator if it reached such a decision, prompting an angry response from Musk, who said it would infringe on free speech.
Indonesia and Malaysia are so far the only countries to have imposed temporary bans. The European Commission said it has started to look into the matter, requesting information from the platform.
(aw)