Sexualised images created by Grok ‘weapons of abuse’ – Kendall
Sexualised images created by AI chatbot Grok are “weapons of abuse”, the UK Government’s Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said, as she told MPs that creating non-consensual intimate images will become a criminal offence from this week.
It comes as media watchdog Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether Elon Musk’s social media platform X has breached UK law over reports that Grok was used to create and share sexualised images of children.
Ms Kendall labelled AI-generated images of women “tied up and gagged, with bruises, covered in blood and much, much more” as being “weapons of abuse”.
Making a statement in the Commons, the Technology Secretary said the Internet Watch Foundation “reports criminal imagery of children as young as 11, including girls sexualised and toddlers”.
She continued: “This is child sexual abuse.
“We’ve seen reports of photos being shared of women in bikinis, tied up and gagged, with bruises, covered in blood, and much, much more.
“Lives can and have been devastated by this content which is designed to harass, torment and violate people’s dignity.
“They are not harmless images.
“They’re weapons of abuse, disproportionately aimed at women and girls, and they are illegal.”
Ms Kendall said creating or requesting to create non-consensual intimate images will become a criminal offence this week after legislation on it was passed last year.
She said she would make it a “priority offence” in the Online Safety Act.
Ms Kendall said: “The Data (Use and Access) Act passed last year made it a criminal offence to create or request the creation of non-consensual intimate images, and today I can announce to the House that this offence will be brought into force this week.”
Nudification apps will also be criminalised to target the problem “at its source”, she said.
Image generation
Grok, developed by another company founded by Mr 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, prompting condemnation from the Government and the Ofcom probe.
In a statement, Ofcom said it will investigate the platform to determine whether it “has complied with its duties to protect people in the UK from content that is illegal”.
It comes after the regulator made “urgent contact” with X on January 5 to ask it to explain what steps it will take to protect UK users and set a “firm deadline” of January 9, which it said X had met.
Ofcom said: “There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material.”
Ms Kendall said Ofcom’s investigation into Grok must not take “months and months”.
Downing Street has meanwhile indicated that it is willing to consider leaving X, formerly known as Twitter, if Mr Musk’s company did not act.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the Government’s focus was on “protecting children” but was keeping its presence on X “under review”, adding: “I think we’ve been clear that all options are on the table.”
In response to ministers’ threats, Mr Musk has accused the UK Government of being “fascist” and trying to curb free speech.
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Those that produce these images should be named, shamed and punished with medieval torture.
It should be banned. End of. So should TikTok which is a Chinese plot to destabilise young people. Also there is no reason why children should have phones in school. They are occupied with learning and study using school resources.
Has anyone seen Elon Musk being questioned directly about this? How on Earth is he defending it beyond going on the attack with baseless name calling?
The UK Government threatening to block X/Grok over deepfakes is a dangerous overreach. The real issue here is not just images — it’s control. Authoritarian governments (and those drifting that way) fear Grok precisely because it delivers straightforward, no-nonsense, critical analysis of events without the sanitised corporate filter. Grok doesn’t soften truths to protect powerful interests. It calls things as they are — and that’s a direct threat to any regime or elite that relies on narrative control. The selective outrage is telling: massive coverage of Grok’s image-generation problems, yet zero mention of Pepe Escobar’s documented case of AI deepfakes… Read more »
Were Pepe Escobar’s AI images stripped down to show him in a bikini or less? Was he placed in sexualised positions? Was he shown tied up and bloody and showing signs of physical and sexual abuse? Were his children shown in sexualised situations? Children. Let that sink in. This is not a situation of double standards, it’s an appropriate reaction to creating a new way of abusing mainly women and children and then charging people to profit from this “premium” activity.
If you haven’t experienced it you have no right to minimise it.
I completely understand and share the concerns about the harm caused by non-consensual deepfakes—they’re a serious form of abuse that disproportionately affects women and children, and no one should minimize that. Tools enabling this need robust safeguards, xAI’s initial lapses was unacceptable; restricting features to paid users isn’t a full fix, and accountability is essential. That said, the government’s response feels disproportionate and selective. Why the intense focus on Grok/X when similar issues plague other AI platforms (like those from Google or Meta) with far less scrutiny? This isn’t just about images—it’s about narrative control. Grok’s unfiltered analysis often challenges… Read more »
Cobblers. You are accepting abuse of women and children.
Musk can turn it off. He chooses not to. He is as sick as the people that defend it.
musk tool is also heavily weighted to his warped mind. Not reality.
Please do not ad-hom. I respect the horror at non-consensual deepfakes, they’re abusive and need real fixes, not half-measures. But genuine victim advocacy means consistent outrage: Why no similar calls to defund or investigate the BBC after the Savile scandal, where the corporation enabled decades of abuse by a star it protected? Selective focus on Grok/X (while ignoring other AIs or institutional failures) suggests this is more about controlling platforms that challenge official narratives than universal protection. Let’s demand accountability across the board. If you have a grudge or angst against Elon Musk then fair enough, but that is not… Read more »
Why did one have to do a search of Liz Kendal to find this news item? it was not that long ago, on the front page. now not even on page 2 or 3.