British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, is taking steps to align with UK regulations. This development follows an investigation by Ofcom into the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, which has been under scrutiny for generating sexually explicit deepfake imagery. Starmer emphasized that while the company is currently working toward compliance, the government remains prepared to take additional action if the platform fails to meet its legal obligations.
Shortly after the Prime Minister’s statement, Elon Musk clarified on X that Grok is programmed to follow the specific laws of every country in which it is available. He asserted that the AI is designed to reject requests for illegal content, reinforcing the platform’s commitment to local legal standards. This follows an earlier policy shift in January where X began restricting the ability to generate “undressed” images to its paying subscribers.
The regulatory pressure comes as the UK prepares to implement a new law this week that officially criminalizes the creation of sexual deepfakes. Technology Minister Liz Kendall described these AI-generated images as “weapons of abuse,” highlighting the government’s intent to crack down on harmful digital content. Ofcom’s probe specifically focuses on whether X is fulfilling its mandatory duty to protect British citizens from illegal and intimate deepfakes produced by its AI tools.
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