US Vice-President JD Vance has agreed with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy that the proliferation of AI-generated sexualised images of women and children on platforms such as X is “entirely unacceptable”, Lammy told the Guardian. The comments follow a meeting in Washington on Thursday, where Lammy raised concerns about X’s AI chatbot, Grok, which has been used to manipulate thousands of images, including those of children.
Lammy said Vance, typically known as an AI enthusiast, was “sympathetic” to the UK’s position and recognised the seriousness of the issue. The deputy prime minister described the technology as fuelling “hyper-pornographied slop” online. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that X could be blocked in the UK if it fails to comply with laws against such “unlawful” and “disgusting” content.
On Friday, X appeared to restrict Grok’s image-manipulation feature to paid subscribers, but reports indicated the change only applied to reply requests, leaving other methods open. Elon Musk, owner of X, accused the UK government of wanting “any excuse for censorship”, while US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna threatened sanctions against Britain if a ban were enforced. UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall backed media regulator Ofcom, which has accelerated an investigation into X.
The meeting between Lammy and Vance also covered tensions over Greenland, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in Venezuela. Lammy noted that international laws are under “tremendous strain” in a multipolar world. The two men, who have developed a friendship since Vance and his family stayed with Lammy last summer, continued discussions on Friday.
