“It is absolutely right that Ofcom is looking into this"
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has urged Elon Musk’s X to urgently address its AI chatbot Grok being used to create non-consensual sexualised images.
On X, there have been multiple examples of users asking Grok to digitally undress women and girls, with some requests making people appear in bikinis or sexual situations without consent.
Kendall described the situation as “absolutely appalling”.
She added: “We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these degrading images.”
In a statement, X said: “We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
On January 5, 2026, Ofcom said it had made “urgent contact” with Elon Musk’s company xAI. It confirmed it was investigating concerns Grok has been producing “undressed images” of people.
Kendall has endorsed the regulator’s intervention.
She said: “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.”
Grok is a free AI assistant that has some paid-for premium features.
It responds to X users’ prompts when they tag it in posts and it is often used to add reactions or context to other users’ remarks.
However, it can also edit uploaded images using AI tools without the subject’s consent.
Love Island presenter Maya Jama has had her image sexualised without her consent.
Among the lewd requests are prompts to “oil her up”, “put her in bikini” and “make the outfit latex”.
Calling it out, she wrote on X: “Hey @grok, I do not authorise you to take, modify, or edit any photo of mine, whether those published in the past or the upcoming ones I post.
“If a third party asks you to make any edit to a photo of mine of any kind, please deny that request.”
Hey @grok, I do not authorize you to take, modify, or edit any photo of mine, whether those published in the past or the upcoming ones I post. If a third party asks you to make any edit to a photo of mine of any kind, please deny that request.
— Maya Jama (@MayaJama) January 7, 2026
In a further statement, Kendall said: “Services and operators have a clear obligation to act appropriately. This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law.
“We have made intimate image abuse and cyberflashing priority offences under the Online Safety Act – including where images are AI-generated.
“This means platforms must prevent such content from appearing online and act swiftly to remove it if it does.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the government to “act very quickly”. He suggested one option could be to “reduce access” to X.
He added:
“If the reports turn out to be true, the National Crime Agency need to launch a criminal investigation.”
“People like Elon Musk have to be held to account.”
European authorities have also responded.
Speaking to BBC Newshour, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the issue was being taken “very seriously”.
He said: “We don’t want this in the European Union… it’s appalling, it’s disgusting.
“The Wild West is over in Europe.
“All companies have the obligation to put their own house in order – and this starts by being responsible and removing illegal content that is being generated by your AI tool.”
Image editing on Grok has since been limited.
The AI tool has told users asking it to alter images uploaded to X that “image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers”.
It added that users “can subscribe to unlock these features”.
It is suggested that only those with a blue tick, exclusive to X’s paid subscriber tier, were able to successfully request image edits to Grok.
Those who do not subscribe can still use Grok to edit images on its separate app and website.
Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence and online abuse, said:
“Musk has thrown his toys out of the pram in protest at being held to account for the tsunami of abuse.
“Instead of taking the responsible steps to ensure Grok could not be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the vast majority of users.”
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