Just days after the UK communications regulator Ofcom first raised concerns over Grok, the watchdog has now escalated its response, launching a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X over the AI chatbot's image-generation capabilities.
As they announced today on X: "We've opened a formal investigation into X under the Online Safety Act, to determine whether it has complied with its duties to protect people in the UK from illegal content."
<social>https://x.com/Ofcom/status/2010677267429577129?s=20</social>
Earlier this month, Ofcom confirmed it had contacted X and xAI to assess whether Grok was being used to generate "undressed images of people and sexualised images of children." Today, that initial outreach has now progressed into a full inquiry to determine whether the platform has breached its legal duties under the UK's Online Safety Act.
In the statement released on Monday, Ofcom said it was investigating whether X failed to properly assess the risk that British users (particularly children) could be exposed to illegal sexual content, including non-consensual intimate imagery and AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
The issue has since drawn direct political intervention. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the Grok-generated images as "disgusting" and "unlawful," saying X must "get a grip" on how its AI tools are being deployed. Ministers have confirmed that sanctions (including platform-level restrictions) are on the table if breaches are found.
X has maintained that it removes illegal content, suspends offending accounts, and cooperates with authorities, stating that anyone using Grok to generate unlawful imagery will face consequences. Ofcom has warned that in the most serious cases, enforcement action could include cutting off advertising and payment services, or even blocking access to the platform in the UK.
Read this story in chronological order:
Grok removes media tab after too many users asked it to remove women's clothing.
UK communication regulator Ofcom takes aim at Grok over "sexualised images of children".
The UK could ban X over the Grok generative image fiasco.
Further reading:
Shutting down Grok and X is "basic crony capitalism" argues Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.