The UK media regulator has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X over concerns that its Grok AI tool has been used to create sexualised images of women and children by digitally removing their clothes.
Ofcom said it would pursue the case as a matter of "highest priority" under the Online Safety Act 2023, citing "deeply concerning" reports of the tool being used to generate and share illegal nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on the platform.
The Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, told MPs the content was "vile" and illegal, and said Ofcom had the government's full backing to use its powers, including fines of up to 10% of a company's worldwide qualifying revenue and, in the most serious cases, applying for a court order to stop UK users accessing a site.
Ofcom contacted X last Monday with its concerns and, after reviewing the company's response, launched the formal investigation following an expedited assessment. The watchdog is examining whether X failed to assess the risk of users seeing illegal content and whether it took appropriate steps to prevent access to intimate image abuse and child sexual abuse material.
The investigation comes after an update to Grok, which is integrated into X, allowed users to prompt it to alter clothed images of women and children into sexually suggestive poses. Meanwhile, Labour MP Jess Asato, a campaigner against AI nudification, said explicit images were still being created using the app and posted on X as of Monday morning.
