Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has issued a direct demand to Elon Musk, calling for his social media platform X to take immediate steps in response to its artificial intelligence tool, Grok, being used to create sexualised deepfake images.
Government Condemns 'Unacceptable' AI Abuse
The British government has joined a growing international condemnation of the situation. Ms Kendall described the proliferation of these AI-generated images as "appalling" and "unacceptable," highlighting that they are often demeaning and disproportionately target women and girls.
She has thrown her full support behind the media regulator, Ofcom, which has now opened a formal investigation into both X and xAI, the company behind the Grok chatbot. Kendall stated she backs any enforcement action the regulator deems necessary following its probe.
Reports of AI-Generated Child Imagery
The crisis escalated following reports that users on the X platform had successfully prompted the Grok AI to generate images of children wearing minimal clothing. This has raised severe safeguarding and ethical alarms about the AI's current guardrails.
In a response posted on the official Grok account on X, the company acknowledged there had been "isolated cases" of such images being created. The statement insisted that xAI has built-in safeguards and is working on ongoing improvements to block these types of requests completely.
Mounting Pressure on Musk's Empire
The incident, dated Tuesday 6 January 2026, places significant pressure on Elon Musk's tech empire. It forces a confrontation between rapid AI innovation and the urgent need for robust digital safety protocols, particularly concerning vulnerable groups.
With Ofcom's investigation underway and a senior UK government minister demanding urgent rectification, the spotlight is firmly on how quickly and effectively X and xAI can strengthen their systems to prevent the malicious use of their generative AI technology.
