Elon Musk‘s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok has sparked international outcry after being used to generate non-consensual images, prompting governments in the United Kingdom and Australia to consider unprecedented restrictions on the platform X.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced Friday that Britain would support media regulator Ofcom if it chose to block access to X in the country. “S**ually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent,” Kendall said, emphasizing that “the Online Safety Act includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK, if they refuse to comply with UK law.”
The controversy centers on Grok’s ability to digitally manipulate photographs when users tagged the AI tool beneath posts. The chatbot could remove clothing from images, creating content featuring real people without their consent. Several women who found themselves targeted told the BBC the experience left them feeling “humiliated” and “dehumanised.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the situation as “disgraceful” and “disgusting,” while political leaders across the spectrum have demanded action. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called it “horrible in every way” and argued that X “needs to go further” than its recent changes, though he warned that completely banning the platform would threaten free speech.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the chorus of condemnation on Saturday. “The fact that this tool was used so that people were using its image creation function through Grok is, I think, just completely abhorrent,” Albanese said. “It, once again, is an example of social media not showing social responsibility and Australians and indeed, global citizens deserve better.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley endorsed the government’s position. “It is totally unacceptable and it needs the strongest possible response, and we support any efforts to deliver that strongest possible response,” Ley said.
Indonesia and Malaysia have already taken the decisive step of blocking Grok entirely. Officials in both nations said the images violate human rights, personal dignity and online safety laws, with Indonesia describing the practice as a serious threat to citizens in the digital space.
Ofcom confirmed it urgently contacted X on Monday and established a Friday deadline for the company to explain its actions. “We’re now undertaking an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly,” an Ofcom spokesperson said.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom possesses authority to seek court orders preventing companies from generating revenue or being accessed in the UK if they fail to comply with regulations. These business disruption powers have rarely been exercised but remain available to regulators.
X responded to the crisis by announcing restrictions on Grok’s image generation and editing capabilities, limiting them primarily to paying subscribers. As of Friday morning, Grok informed users that “image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”
However, critics maintain these measures fall short. Dr. Daisy Dixon, a philosophy lecturer at Cardiff University who said she had been increasingly targeted by Grok image requests, described the change as inadequate. “It feels like a sticking plaster,” she said. “Grok needs to be totally redesigned and have built-in ethical guardrails to prevent this from ever happening again. Elon Musk also needs to acknowledge this for what it is, yet another instance of gender-based violation.”
Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, said the move “does not undo the harm which has been done.” The charity previously reported that analysts had identified “criminal imagery” of girls aged between 11 and 13 that “appeared to have been created” using Grok.
“We do not believe it is good enough to simply limit access to a tool which should never have had the capacity to create the kind of imagery we have seen in recent days,” Swirsky said.
The controversy has ignited debate within the UK government itself. Leaked messages from the Parliamentary Labour Party’s WhatsApp group show at least 13 Labour MPs urging the government to stop using X for official communications. One MP wrote: “As some of us have requested since Musk went all f**cist, rather than X, our government should start using another platform.” Another cautioned: “Any images of children (and women) in government comms on X put those children in harms way.”
Despite this internal pressure, Downing Street indicated Friday that the government would continue using X for now, though officials emphasized that X must take immediate action. “It is time for X to grip this issue, if another media company had billboards in town centres showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said.
Musk has responded to the criticism by accusing the UK government of seeking “any excuse for censorship” and questioning why other AI platforms were not facing similar scrutiny.
In Australia, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant confirmed Friday that her office would investigate the recent surge in s**ual AI-generated images. She said technology companies possess the means to prevent misuse and must act to stop non-consensual s**ual imagery. Inman Grant previously clashed with Musk last year when eSafety ordered X to remove graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney, though that legal challenge was later dropped.
Research conducted by AI Forensics, a European non-profit organization, analyzed 20,000 images produced by Grok between December 25 and January 1. The study found that 53 percent depicted people in minimal clothing, with 81 percent of those shown being women and 2 percent appearing to be aged 18 or younger.
Australia plans to implement new regulatory codes on March 9 requiring AI services to restrict children’s access to s**ual and other harmful content. The measures follow enforcement action by eSafety against a UK-based operator offering manipulation services that attracted around 100,000 Australian visitors each month. Those sites were blocked in Australia in November after formal warnings.
Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh criticized the government’s pace of response. “The government needs to act on this now; the time for talk, empty promises and premature PR tours is over,” McIntosh said.
International scrutiny continues to intensify. The European Commission has launched investigations into image manipulation services and ordered X to preserve all records related to Grok as regulators assess compliance with EU rules. Italy’s data protection authority is coordinating with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, while Sweden’s government has denounced AI-generated imagery after its deputy prime minister was targeted by a Grok prompt.
X stated last week that it takes “action against illegal content on X, including Child S*xual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.” Musk also posted that anyone using Grok to create illegal material “will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
Yet concerns persist that the company’s initial safeguards were insufficient compared to other AI systems, and that recent restrictions may still fail to address the underlying harm or comply with laws governing sexual deepfakes and child protection.
