Britain's media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's X platform over concerns that its Grok AI chatbot is generating sexually explicit deepfakes and inappropriate imagery that may violate UK laws. The investigation aims to determine whether X has failed in its duty to protect British users from potentially illegal content.

Investigation Details and Scope

Ofcom's investigation centers on reports that Grok AI has been used to create and share undressed images of people and sexualised images of children. The regulator expressed deep concern over these capabilities, noting that such content may constitute intimate image abuse, pornography, or child sexual abuse material.

The investigation will examine whether X failed to assess the risk that people in Britain would encounter illegal content and whether the platform adequately considered risks to children specifically.

Government Response and Political Pressure

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a strong stance against the imagery produced by Grok, describing it as "disgusting" and "unlawful." Starmer demanded that X "get a grip" on Grok and expressed full government support for Ofcom's regulatory action. This political backing demonstrates the seriousness with which UK authorities are treating the matter.

International Concerns and Responses

The UK investigation reflects broader international concerns about Grok's capabilities. French officials have reported X to prosecutors and regulators, characterising the content as "manifestly illegal." Indian authorities have also demanded explanations from the platform regarding the AI's image generation features.

Platform Response and Current Measures

X has implemented several measures in response to the controversy. The platform has restricted the Grok feature to paying users and stated that it removes all illegal content while permanently suspending involved accounts. X emphasised that users prompting Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal material directly.

Potential Regulatory Consequences

Ofcom possesses significant enforcement powers for serious non-compliance cases. The regulator could potentially request court orders requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw services from the platform, or direct internet service providers to block access to the site within Britain. These measures represent some of the most severe regulatory actions available under UK law.

Legal Framework and Compliance Requirements

Under British law, creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated sexual imagery, is illegal. Tech platforms operating in the UK must prevent British users from encountering illegal content and remove such material once they become aware of it. The investigation will determine whether X has met these legal obligations regarding Grok's output.

Social media platform X will make its recommendation algorithm open source to the public within seven days, owner Elon Musk announced on Saturday. The release will include the code used to decide what posts and advertisements are recommended to users on the platform.

Algorithm Release Details

Musk stated that the algorithm updates will follow a regular schedule with comprehensive documentation to help users understand changes.

The billionaire did not specify the reasons behind making X's algorithm open source, though the company has faced multiple clashes with regulators over content being shown to users.

Platform Issues and AI Integration

X has been addressing various technical and user experience challenges. In October, Musk confirmed the company had discovered a "significant bug" in the platform's "For You" algorithm and pledged a fix after users complained about receiving fewer posts from people they follow.

The company has been working to incorporate more artificial intelligence into its recommendation system using Grok, Musk's AI chatbot. In September, Musk outlined ambitious goals for the platform's AI integration:

• Make X's recommendation engine "purely AI"
• Share open source algorithm updates every two weeks
• Have Grok evaluate all 100+ million daily posts
• Offer individually tailored content recommendations

"To the degree that people are seeing improvements in their feed, it is not due to the actions of specific individuals changing heuristics, but rather increasing use of Grok and other AI tools," Musk wrote in October.

Regulatory Scrutiny and Compliance Issues

Grok's image-generation capabilities have attracted significant criticism from global regulators following a surge of AI-generated images that sexualize women and children on X. As of Friday, Grok now requires a paid subscription for users to generate and edit images, moving away from the initially free service with daily limits.

International regulatory responses have been swift and decisive:

UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned in a Friday statement that the government could "block services from being accessed in the UK, if they refuse to comply with UK law."

Previous Commitments and Transparency

Musk has made similar promises about algorithm transparency in recent years, though follow-through has been inconsistent. European regulators have particularly increased scrutiny of the company, focusing on misinformation, inadequate content moderation, and transparency shortcomings.

In July, French authorities requested the company share its algorithm as part of a probe into allegations of bias and manipulation. X declined to comply with the request at the time, characterizing the investigation as politically motivated.

The upcoming algorithm release represents another attempt by X to address transparency concerns while managing ongoing regulatory pressure across multiple jurisdictions.