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Cybersecurity expert Elon Musk’s Grok image generator, from dad or mum company X, is being investigated by the UK regulator below the Online Safety Act

Online safety regulator Ofcom has begun a proper investigation into X below the UK’s Online Safety Act, following what is being regarded as misuse of the Grok AI chatbot.

The regulator acknowledged it used to be responding to stories of the chatbot legend on X being outdated to construct and fragment undressed pictures of of us – that would possibly presumably well quantity to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised pictures of young of us that would possibly quantity to child sexual abuse enviornment materials.

The Grok unleashed survey of online pictures from AI Forensics, in accordance with 50,000 tweets pointing out Grok, published between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, stumbled on that over half (Fifty three%) contained participants in “minimal attire”.

The researcher, Paul Bouchaud, reported that 81% of these pictures were participants presenting as girls, and a few% depicted participants performing to be 18 years dilapidated or younger, as certain by Google’s Gemini vision mannequin.

The survey additionally stumbled on that 6% of the generated pictures depicted public figures identified by Gemini. In the file, Bouchaud acknowledged the survey identified over 350 personalities depicted by the AI image generator, approximately one-third of whom were identified as political figures. In the file, Bouchaud illustrious that this suggests there are no obvious guardrails preventing suppose that would possibly presumably well be outdated for propaganda enviornment materials and disinformation.

Ofcom acknowledged it contacted X on 5 January, giving it till 9 January to demonstrate what steps it has taken to adjust to its responsibilities to offer protection to customers in the UK.

Following the company’s response, Ofcom acknowledged it has decided to originate a proper investigation to assign whether or no longer X has did no longer adjust to its authorized responsibilities below the Online Safety Act.

Amongst the areas of investigation is an evaluate of the threat of of us in the UK seeing suppose that’s unlawful in the UK, and whether or no longer X is taking applicable steps to forestall of us in the UK from seeing “precedence“ unlawful suppose reminiscent of non-consensual intimate pictures.

The investigation will additionally center of attention on at how rapid X takes down unlawful suppose when it is some distance made attentive to it, and the scheme it is some distance preserving customers from a breach of privateness authorized guidelines. When it comes to preserving young of us, Ofcom acknowledged the investigation will additionally assess the threat the Grok AI carrier poses to UK young of us, and the effectiveness of X to utter age assurance to offer protection to UK young of us from seeing pornography.

Commenting on the investigation, Ofcom acknowledged: “Stories of Grok being outdated to construct and fragment unlawful non-consensual intimate pictures and child sexual abuse enviornment materials on X were deeply touching on. Platforms must offer protection to of us in the UK from suppose that’s unlawful in the UK, and we gained’t hesitate to research the assign we suspect companies are failing in their responsibilities, especially the assign there’s a threat of injury to young of us.

“We’ll development this investigation as a matter of the very finest precedence, whereas ensuring we apply due route of. As the UK’s just online safety enforcement company, it’s critical we construct certain our investigations are legally sturdy and pretty decided.”

There used to be lots of reward for Grok on CEO Elon Musk’s X feed, which appears to hang shunned discussions on the necessity for guardrails to offer protection to young of us and of us’s privateness. In a post on X, Musk acknowledged the UK wants “any excuse for censorship”.