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X is facing mounting scrutiny over the image-generation capabilities of its AI chatbot Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI.
Musk’s social media platform has faced harsh criticism for producing not only sexually explicit but also false images, which even included minors. This raised major concerns among the regulators in many countries.
UK, Canadian, and Australian regulators are now talking about a joint action against X. They are worried about the misuse of generative AI tools on social media platforms with a huge number of users.
The immediate flashpoint came after reports accused Grok of producing explicit images and enabling image manipulation at scale. As regulators moved closer to enforcement, Musk publicly accused the UK government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of ‘fascism’, arguing that online regulation was being used as a cover for censorship.
In a series of posts on X, Musk claimed the platform was being unfairly targeted while similar behavior by other AI systems was being ignored.
British ministers have rejected Musk’s claims and adopted a hard line. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall condemned the creation and spread of sexualized AI-generated images, particularly those involving women and children. She warned that X could face serious consequences if it fails to comply with UK law.
Kendall also noted the government would back regulator Ofcom if it chose to take enforcement action, including steps that could effectively block access to X in the UK.
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Ofcom has confirmed it is conducting an expedited assessment after formally contacting X and xAI. Under the Online Safety Act, the regulator can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of a company’s global turnover.
In extreme cases, it can seek court approval to disrupt a platform’s operations by restricting access to advertisers, payment providers, or internet services.
X has reportedly restricted certain image-manipulation features on Grok to paid users, though regulators argue these changes do not go far enough. Kendall said partial controls remain ‘totally unacceptable’.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also backed the UK’s stance, condemning the non-consensual use of generative AI. Ofcom is expected to announce its next steps within a couple days.
