'Ofcom investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes'

Ofcom has launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X over concerns its AI tool Grok is being used to create sexualised images.

In a statement, the UK watchdog said there had been "deeply concerning reports" of the chatbot being used to create and share undressed images of people, as well as "sexualised images of children".

If found to have broken the law, Ofcom can potentially issue X with a fine of up to 10% of its worldwide revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater.

X referred the BBC to a statement posted by its Safety account at the start of January: "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.".

Elon Musk later said the UK government wanted "any excuse for censorship" in response to a post questioning why other AI platforms were not being looked at...

If X does not comply, Ofcom can seek a court order to force internet service providers to block access to the site in the UK altogether...

Dr Daisy Dixon, who previously told the BBC she felt "humiliated" following multiple instances of people using Grok to undress her, said she welcomed an investigation.

"For Musk and others to call this an excuse for censorship just deflects from the issue at hand - systematic violence against women and girls," she said...

Ofcom will now examine whether X has failed to take down illegal content quickly when it became aware of it, and taken "appropriate steps" to prevent people in the UK from seeing it.

It said such illegal content included "non-consensual intimate images" and child sexual imagery...

The decision follows global backlash over Grok's image creation feature, with both Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocking access to the tool over the weekend...

Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University, told the BBC it was "hard to predict" how quickly the investigation would move...

She said the regulator could apply for a business disruption order - a court order to block access to X in the UK - straight away rather than as a last resort, but only in "rare circumstances" in response to an ongoing problem.

Clare McGlynn, a law professor at Durham University, said the debate around whether X might be blocked in the UK was a "distraction".

"Women and girls need action and changes on the ground so that Grok does not produce illegal intimate images and women can get their non-consensual images removed," she said.