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Elon Musk has been ordered to purge “appalling” AI-generated deepfakes from his X platform following a direct intervention by the UK government.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has called on the billionaire’s social media giant to urgently address the use of its Grok chatbot to create non-consensual sexualized images of women and girls. Kendall described the situation as “absolutely appalling,” warning that the government will not tolerate the “proliferation of these degrading images.”
The demand follows an investigation by the BBC, which uncovered numerous instances of users prompting the Grok AI to digitally undress people or place them in sexual situations without their consent.
The broadcaster found that the bot could be manipulated to bypass standard safeguards, creating realistic depictions of individuals in bikinis or nude states.
In response to the findings, the media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation and confirmed it has made “urgent contact” with xAI, the Musk-owned company behind the chatbot.
Kendall has provided her “full backing” for the regulator to take any necessary enforcement action, signaling a major test for the UK’s digital safety framework.
Under the Online Safety Act, intimate image abuse and cyberflashing – including content generated by artificial intelligence – are classified as priority offences. This legislation places a clear legal obligation on tech firms to proactively prevent such material from being hosted and to act swiftly to remove it when identified.
“Services and operators have a clear obligation to act appropriately,” Kendall stated. “This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law. We have made intimate image abuse and cyberflashing priority offences… this means platforms must prevent such content from appearing online and act swiftly to remove it.”
On Sunday, X issued a warning to its users against generating illegal content, specifically child sexual abuse material. However, the company has yet to provide a formal response to the specific allegations regarding sexualized deepfakes of adults.
As Ofcom’s investigation continues, Musk faces mounting pressure to prove that his commitment to “free speech” does not come at the expense of women’s safety and the law.
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