{"id":8363,"date":"2026-01-12T19:48:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T19:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8363"},"modified":"2026-01-12T19:48:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T19:48:48","slug":"uk-to-investigate-elon-musks-grok-over-deeply-concerning-deepfakes-science-and-technology-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8363","title":{"rendered":"UK to investigate Elon Musk\u2019s Grok over \u2018deeply concerning\u2019 deepfakes | Science and Technology News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Pressure is on after PM Keir Starmer said Musk\u2019s X needs to \u2018get a grip\u2019 on Grok; Downing Street has threatened to leave platform.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 12 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">12 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>United Kingdom media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk\u2019s X over the use of AI chatbot Grok to generate deepfake sexualised images.<\/p>\n<p>Ofcom labelled the reports as \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d, warning in a statement issued on Monday that the chatbot\u2019s creation of nude deepfakes could amount to \u201cintimate image abuse or pornography\u201d, and that \u201csexualised images of children\u201d could be considered \u201cchild sexual abuse material\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The regulator, which has the power to ban Grok, is under pressure to act after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the images produced by Grok were \u201cdisgusting\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d, and that Musk\u2019s social media platform X had to \u201cget a grip\u201d on the application.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Ofcom said its investigation will determine whether X \u201cfailed to comply with its legal obligations\u201d, and was launched after the company complied with an earlier request from the regulator to explain the steps it had taken to protect UK users.<\/p>\n<p>Asked for a comment, X referred the AFP news agency to a previous statement, which said it took action against illegal content on X \u201cby removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said it was vital that Ofcom complete its investigation swiftly, as the public, and most importantly the victims, would not accept any delay.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he had raised the situation with United States Vice President JD Vance, who had, he claimed, agreed that it was entirely unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Downing Street has meanwhile indicated that it is willing to consider leaving X, formerly known as Twitter, if Mr Musk\u2019s company does not act.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"power-to-ban\">Power to ban<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Under Britain\u2019s Online Safety Act, which entered force in July, online platforms hosting potentially harmful content are required to implement strict age verification through tools such as facial imagery or credit card checks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It is illegal for media sites to create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material, including sexual deepfakes created with artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Ofcom has the power to impose fines of 10 percent of worldwide revenue for breaches of rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Asked on Monday whether X could be banned, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: \u201cYes, of course\u201d. But he noted that the power to do so lay with Ofcom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Grok appeared to deflect the international criticism with a new monetisation policy at the end of last week, posting on X that the tool was now \u201climited to paying subscribers\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Starmer condemned the move as an affront to victims and \u201cnot a solution\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Musk has accused the UK government of being fascist and trying to curb free speech.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Grok, developed by another company founded by Musk called xAI, launched a new advanced image generation feature in July last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">But its use for creating nude deepfake images has become widespread over the last few weeks, sparking condemnation around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pressure is on after PM Keir Starmer said Musk\u2019s X needs to \u2018get a grip\u2019 on Grok; Downing Street has threatened to leave platform. Published On 12 Jan 202612 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share United Kingdom media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk\u2019s X over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}