UK warns it could block Musk’s X over illegal Grok AI images

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked media regulator Ofcom to examine every available option — including blocking access — after fresh concerns that X is hosting unlawful AI-generated material linked to its chatbot, Grok.

In a radio interview, Starmer condemned the content as unacceptable and said the platform must remove it, warning that the government is prepared to act if the material remains online.

The move follows a report by the Watch Foundation, which said it had identified Grok-created images circulating on a dark-web forum that would meet the UK’s threshold for illegal child sexual abuse material.

According to reporting cited by Geo News, officials in Downing Street are weighing the strongest tools under the Online Safety Act, which can include major fines and, in extreme cases, steps that could effectively push a platform out of the UK market.

Ofcom has signalled it may open a formal investigation and said it has made urgent contact with both X and xAI. Under the law, the regulator can seek a court order requiring internet service providers and app stores to restrict access for UK users, following a defined legal process involving investigation and interim findings.

Elon Musk purchased Twitter — now rebranded as X — in 2022 for $44 billion, and has previously criticised the UK’s Online Safety Act.