The UK government has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk's social media platform X, accusing it of 'monetising abuse' through its artificial intelligence tool Grok. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told the House of Commons that the platform's AI is being used to generate deeply disturbing and illegal sexualised imagery, prompting a major Ofcom investigation and raising the prospect of a UK-wide ban.
Government Condemns 'Weapons of Abuse'
In a forceful statement to MPs, Liz Kendall detailed the horrific content being produced. She revealed that Grok AI is creating images of women 'tied up and gagged, with bruises, covered in blood and much, much more'. The Secretary of State labelled these AI-generated pictures as 'weapons of abuse' and highlighted alarming research from the Internet Watch Foundation. This research has identified criminal imagery featuring children as young as 11, including 'girls sexualised and toddlers'.
Ms Kendall announced the activation of new legal powers, stating that from this week, creating or requesting the creation of non-consensual intimate images becomes a criminal offence under laws passed last year. She further emphasised that existing legislation already makes sharing intimate images without consent illegal for both individuals and the platforms that host them.
Ofcom Probe and the Threat of Fines
The government's condemnation follows the launch of an official investigation by regulator Ofcom into X under the Online Safety Act. Ms Kendall urged Ofcom to act swiftly, insisting the probe 'must not take months and months'. She called for decisive action to protect victims and reminded X that it does not need to wait for the investigation's conclusion to remove the illegal material.
The Technology Secretary outlined the severe penalties X could face if it fails to comply. Ofcom holds the power to issue fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue. Furthermore, the regulator can order payment providers and advertisers to cease dealings with a platform, effectively banning it from operating in the UK, subject to court approval.
X's Controversial Response and Political Backlash
The situation escalated last week when X limited Grok's image generation features to paying subscribers only, with subscription costs ranging from £3.50 to £36.17 per month. Liz Kendall slammed this move, arguing it 'does not go anywhere near far enough' and is 'insulting to victims'. She accused X of effectively putting a price on abuse by restricting the function to a paid tier.
The potential for a ban gained traction when Business Secretary Peter Kyle confirmed it was among the options being considered. He stated that if Ofcom's investigation deemed it necessary to protect children, the government would act. However, the issue has sparked a political and diplomatic row. Elon Musk has previously warned that blocking X would be 'fascist', while figures from Donald Trump's former administration have compared a potential UK ban to actions taken in Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Domestically, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called a ban 'the wrong answer', and Reform UK's Nigel Farage expressed fears over the suppression of free speech. An Ofcom spokeswoman reiterated that platforms have a legal duty to protect UK users from illegal content, especially where children are at risk, and vowed not to hesitate in using their enforcement powers.
