Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he understands that Elon Musk’s social media platform X is “taking steps to ensure full compliance with UK law” following controversy over sexualised deepfake images generated by its AI tool, Grok.
The images, which were widely shared on X, triggered a strong public backlash. In response, media regulator Ofcom launched an investigation earlier this week, while the government confirmed it would enforce legislation making the creation of non-consensual deepfake images a criminal offence.
However, when questioned by the BBC, the prime minister’s official spokesperson clarified that Sir Keir had not been in direct contact with X. Instead, his remarks were based on media reports at the time he addressed MPs.
According to The Telegraph, Grok has since stopped responding to prompts requesting sexualised images of women and girls. X has not commented on that report, nor has it responded to the BBC’s request for comment on Sir Keir’s remarks.
Previously, X referred journalists to a statement posted by its Safety account, warning: “Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content.”
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir reiterated his condemnation of Grok as “disgusting” after being challenged by Labour MP Emily Darlington. He added that Ofcom has the government’s full support to take action if X fails to meet its legal obligations.
