UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has issued a forceful demand for Elon Musk's social media platform X to take immediate action over what she describes as 'absolutely appalling' AI-generated deepfake images, including sexualised depictions of children.
Government Condemns 'Degrading' AI Abuse
In a statement on Tuesday 06 January 2026, the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary condemned recent incidents where users of X appeared to have prompted the platform's AI tool, Grok, to create images of minors 'in minimal clothing'. Ms Kendall stated this content was unacceptable in a decent society and disproportionately targeted women and girls.
'No one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate deepfakes of themselves online,' she declared. 'We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images.'
Ofcom Investigation Backed
Ms Kendall gave her full backing to the media regulator, Ofcom, which is examining both X and xAI—the company founded by Elon Musk that created Grok. She urged the regulator to take 'any enforcement action' it deems necessary as a matter of urgency.
The minister emphasised that efforts to curb such material were not about restricting freedom of expression. 'This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law,' she clarified, pointing to the Online Safety Act. Under this legislation, intimate image abuse and cyberflashing are priority offences, which includes AI-generated content, placing a legal duty on platforms to prevent and swiftly remove it.
Platform Response and Legal Context
A post on the official Grok X account acknowledged 'isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing'. It stated that while xAI has safeguards, 'improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely.'
In a stark automated response to a Press Association request for comment on Ms Kendall's statement, xAI simply said: 'Legacy media lies.' Elon Musk has previously asserted that anyone using Grok to produce illegal content would face the same consequences as if they had uploaded it directly.
X has stated its policy is to act against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing it, suspending accounts permanently, and cooperating with law enforcement.
Ms Kendall's intervention comes amid wider transatlantic tensions over online regulation, with Donald Trump's US administration criticising European regulators. However, the UK minister was unequivocal: 'Make no mistake – the UK will not tolerate the endless proliferation of disgusting and abusive material online. We must all come together to stamp it out.'
