Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has informed Parliament that the social media platform X is now taking steps to ensure it complies with UK law, following a major controversy surrounding its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
Government Vows No Backdown in Grok Investigation
The row erupted after reports that Grok's image generation feature was being used to create sexualised depictions of women and children. Sir Keir told the House of Commons on Wednesday 14 January 2026 that while news of X's action was welcome, the government would not retreat from its position.
"We're not going to back down, and they must act," the Prime Minister stated, confirming that media regulator Ofcom's independent probe into the platform would proceed. He reiterated his condemnation of the AI's output, labelling it "disgusting" and "shameful".
Ofcom Probe and Legislative Backing
Ofcom launched its formal investigation into X on Monday, prompted by mounting concerns over Grok's capabilities. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall affirmed that the watchdog had the government's full support to take robust action, which could include effectively banning the platform in the UK if necessary.
Ms Kendall also criticised X for limiting some of Grok's image generation functions to paying subscribers, accusing the company of "monetising abuse." In response to the outcry, she confirmed that new legislation creating a criminal offence for generating or requesting non-consensual intimate images would come into force this week.
Musk Responds, Blames 'Adversarial Hacking'
X's owner, billionaire Elon Musk, offered a defence of the platform. He claimed he was unaware of "any naked underage images generated by Grok" and asserted that the chatbot's operating principle is to refuse illegal content and obey local laws.
Mr Musk suggested that any inappropriate outputs may have been caused by "adversarial hacking" of the AI's prompts, adding that any such bugs would be fixed immediately. His comments followed initial claims that threats of action were an attempt to censor the platform.
The Prime Minister's update came in response to a question from Labour MP Emily Darlington. Sir Keir concluded by warning that the government would "strengthen existing laws and prepare for legislation" if further measures were needed to protect users from harmful AI-generated content.
