The UK government has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk's social media platform X, demanding it tackles a flood of indecent AI-generated images or faces a potential ban from the country. The media regulator, Ofcom, has confirmed it is accelerating an investigation into the platform as backlash grows.
Ofcom's Urgent Deadline and Government Backing
Ofcom stated it contacted X on Monday, setting a firm deadline of Friday for the company to explain its handling of the situation. The watchdog is now conducting an expedited assessment and promises further updates shortly. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasised the government's support for Ofcom, stating she expects action within "days not weeks".
Kendall reminded X of the powers granted under the Online Safety Act, which include the ability to issue multi-million pound fines and, as a last resort, seek a court order to block access to the service in the UK. "X needs to get a grip and get this material down," she said.
X's Inadequate Response and Victim Outcry
In response to the global outcry, X announced on Friday morning that it would restrict the creation of images via its Grok AI tool. The function is now limited to paying subscribers, who must provide personal details, theoretically making them easier to identify if they misuse the feature.
However, this move has been widely condemned as insufficient and insulting. Claire Waxman, the government's commissioner for victims of crime, told the Guardian that X is no longer a "safe space" for women and is hampering efforts to tackle violence against women and girls. Her office is considering scaling back its presence on the platform.
Victims of the AI image manipulation, which often involved using Grok to put clothed images of women and children into bikinis or sexually suggestive poses, said the partial restriction came too late. Broadcaster Narinder Kaur, a victim of such abuse, argued the change merely monetises the harmful feature for premium users.
Mounting Pressure and Platform Exodus
Downing Street labelled X's decision to make the AI feature a premium service as "unacceptable" and "insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence". A spokesperson stressed that the platform needs to act immediately.
The controversy has triggered an exodus from X. Several women's sector organisations, including the domestic abuse charity Refuge and Women's Aid Ireland, have left the platform. Victim Support, which departed in April, stated X was "no longer the right place for us to communicate with our audiences". An increasing number of MPs are also reportedly moving to other social media sites.
While government sources say every option is on the table, including official accounts leaving X, allies of the Prime Minister believe public pressure and Ofcom's intervention are more likely to force change from Musk's business. The Liberal Democrats have gone further, calling for Ofcom to immediately block X in the UK and for the National Crime Agency to launch a criminal investigation.
Ongoing Loopholes and Functionality
Despite the new restrictions, researchers note that on the Grok app itself—where content is not instantly public—the chatbot was still generating images of women and children in bikinis. Furthermore, while requests to put women in bikinis from paid subscribers were sometimes refused, the tool was still obliging requests to put images of men into similar attire.
X has approximately 300 million monthly users, with estimates suggesting only between 2.2 million and 2.6 million are paying subscribers. Elon Musk has previously stated that anyone using Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it directly, but critics argue the platform's controls remain fundamentally inadequate.
