UK to investigate Elon Musk’s Grok over ‘deeply concerning’ deepfakes 

United Kingdom media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s X over the use of AI chatbot Grok to generate deepfake sexualised images.

Ofcom labelled the reports as “deeply concerning”, warning in a statement issued on Monday that the chatbot’s creation of nude deepfakes could amount to “intimate image abuse or pornography”, and that “sexualised images of children” could be considered “child sexual abuse material”.

The regulator, which has the power to ban Grok, is under pressure to act after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the images produced by Grok were “disgusting” and “unlawful”, and that Musk’s social media platform X had to “get a grip” on the application.

Ofcom said its investigation will determine whether X “failed to comply with its legal obligations”, and was launched after the company complied with an earlier request from the regulator to explain the steps it had taken to protect UK users.

Asked for a comment, X referred the AFP news agency to a previous statement, which said it took action against illegal content on X “by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary”.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said it was vital that Ofcom complete its investigation swiftly, as the public, and most importantly the victims, would not accept any delay.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he had raised the situation with United States Vice President JD Vance, who had, he claimed, agreed that it was entirely unacceptable.

Downing Street has meanwhile indicated that it is willing to consider leaving X, formerly known as Twitter, if Mr Musk’s company does not act.

Under Britain’s Online Safety Act, which entered force in July, online platforms hosting potentially harmful content are required to implement strict age verification through tools such as facial imagery or credit card checks.

It is illegal for media sites to create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including sexual deepfakes created with artificial intelligence (AI).

Ofcom has the power to impose fines of 10 percent of worldwide revenue for breaches of rules.

Asked on Monday whether X could be banned, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Yes, of course”. But he noted that the power to do so lay with Ofcom.

Grok appeared to deflect the international criticism with a new monetisation policy at the end of last week, posting on X that the tool was now “limited to paying subscribers”.

Starmer condemned the move as an affront to victims and “not a solution”.

Musk has accused the UK government of being fascist and trying to curb free speech.

Grok, developed by another company founded by Musk called xAI, launched a new advanced image generation feature in July last year.

But its use for creating nude deepfake images has become widespread over the last few weeks, sparking condemnation around the world.