Sexualised images created by Grok ‘weapons of abuse’ – Kendall

Sexualised images created by AI chatbot Grok are “weapons of abuse”, 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.

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.