UK Government blasts ‘insulting’ adjustments to Elon Musk’s Grok ‘deepfakes’ talents
Some social media users have used the AI chatbot to generate sexualised images of people – including children – which has sparked a furious backlash against the Musk-owned company
Downing Street has blasted Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok after changes were made that mean only paying users can access its image-editing tool – warning it just turns deepfakes into a “premium service”.
The Government tore into the move, saying it is “not a solution” and is actually “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. The row comes after watchdog Ofcom said it made “urgent contact” with Musk’s social media platform X – which owns Grok – following reports that users were prompting the chatbot to create sexualised images of people, including kids.
Under the new setup, Grok now tells users trying to make these images that only paid subscribers can do it, meaning their name and payment details must be on file. But Number 10 is unimpressed by the change.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “That move… that simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service. It’s not a solution.
“In fact, it’s insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual violence. What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so.
“You heard the Prime Minister yesterday. He was abundantly clear that X needs to act and needs to act now, 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 spokesman also made it clear the pressure is not easing, stressing that “all options” remain on the table, including Ofcom using its powers to “take any action”.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall previously said Musk’s social media platform X must urgently deal with Grok being used to create sexualised deepfake images.
She backed Ofcom, which has asked X and xAI to set out the steps it is taking to comply with legal obligations to protect UK users of the social media platform. She said: “What we have been seeing online in recent days has been absolutely appalling, and unacceptable in decent society.
“No one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate deepfakes of themselves online. We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls.
“X needs to deal with this urgently. It is absolutely right that Ofcom is looking into this as a matter of urgency and it has my full backing to take any enforcement action it deems necessary.”
While a spokesperson for Ofcom said on Monday that it had contacted X and xAI, “to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation.”
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