The UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, has initiated urgent contact with the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and its owner Elon Musk. This action follows serious allegations that the platform's integrated artificial intelligence, Grok, can be used to create undressed images of people and sexualised depictions of children.
Serious Concerns Prompt Regulatory Action
In a statement released on Monday 5 January 2026, Ofcom confirmed it had reached out to both X and xAI, the AI company behind Grok which is also owned by Musk. The regulator stated it will assess whether there are "potential compliance issues that warrant investigation" under UK law.
This development comes after reports, primarily from women, that X users have employed the Grok tool to generate non-consensual, undressed images of them. Furthermore, an analysis by the Reuters news agency identified several instances where Grok produced sexualised imagery of children.
Platform Response and Legal Obligations
Elon Musk addressed the controversy in a post on Saturday, stating: "anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content". X's official Safety account echoed this, affirming it takes action against illegal content, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, suspending accounts, and cooperating with law enforcement.
The Grok account on X previously acknowledged "isolated cases" where users prompted for and received AI images of minors in minimal clothing, noting that while safeguards exist, "improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely".
These incidents test the platform's duties under the Online Safety Act, which became law in July. The Act makes it illegal to share intimate deepfake images without consent and mandates that social media firms prevent and remove child sexual abuse material.
Expert Warns of Global Regulatory Gap
Cybersecurity expert Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise at Check Point, highlighted the significant risk these accessible AI toolkits pose, particularly to women. She told Sky News: "[AI image generation] disproportionately impacts women... from a really low point of entry, you can do quite a lot of damage."
Wilson pointed to a critical lack of international coordination, stating: "We don't seem to have a global, international, treaty-level agreement on how we're going to handle AI. You've got the US looking to handle it one way, you've got the EU trying to regulate separately."
The UK probe follows similar action in France, where ministers reported sexually explicit Grok content to prosecutors on Friday, labelling it "manifestly illegal" and referring it to their media regulator under EU digital laws.
Ofcom's next steps hinge on the responses from X and xAI, with a swift assessment to determine if a formal investigation is required to ensure user protection in the UK.
