Elon Musk is facing a defining regulatory showdown in the United Kingdom as the country's media regulator launched a formal investigation on Monday into allegations that his Grok AI tool has been systematically used to 'undress' thousands of women.
Under the newly enacted Online Safety Act, Ofcom has the power to issue a total platform ban or a fine of up to 10% of global revenue—currently around £18 million, a move Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says is 'on the table' to stop the spread of what he described as 'disgusting' and 'unlawful' sexualised deepfakes.
Ofcom statement released this week captured the gravity of the situation: 'There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people, which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography, and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material.'
Grok AI's Disturbing Track Record
Over recent weeks, users have weaponised Grok to strip politicians, celebrities and ordinary women without consent, prompting a rapid response from authorities across the globe.
Indonesia and Malaysia have already blocked access to X entirely in response to the scandal, signalling just how serious governments view the threat posed by the technology.
Within the UK, the Prime Minister has instructed Ofcom to have 'all options on the table', describing the nearly nude images as 'disgusting' and demanding immediate action.
The mechanics of the abuse are straightforward yet alarming. Users ask Grok to generate images of women in revealing garments or to remove their clothing entirely, with some even requesting the AI to depict cabinet ministers in bikinis.
How Grok AI Is Harming Real People
Content creators and ordinary individuals have emerged as particular targets, with their publicly available photos from social media being fed into Grok to create synthetic abuse material.
Ruben Chorlton-Owen, a 24-year-old Welsh content creator, described the experience as deeply violating. 'Some of my photos from Instagram have been used by AI to create bizarre and sexualised images of me in outfits I never agreed to, including 'transparent outfits' and other dodgy combinations,' he told Metro. His account was later confirmed when witnesses observed a troll asking Grok to strip, and the bot generated a synthetic image of the musician shirtless.
Chorlton-Owen's emotional response reflects a broader sense of powerlessness among victims. 'It made me feel exposed and powerless, and highlighted how little control people have over their own images once online and myself as a content creator, whose photos are already accessible,' he added.
Similarly, journalist Samantha Smith described the experience of being 'digitally de-clothed' as 'violating,' noting that the technology reduced her to a 'sexual stereotype.'
Reports suggest that even members of the Royal Family, including the Princess of Wales, and minors as young as 14 have had their likenesses manipulated by the tool, leading researchers to estimate that Grok was producing over 1,500 harmful images per hour at the peak of the trend.
The Internet Media Watch has reported witnessing altered images of children on the platform, further escalating concerns about child safety.
Following the outcry, Grok has implemented a partial restriction, limiting image creation requests to paying X Premium subscribers as of Thursday. However, this measure remains incomplete—users can still bypass these restrictions by utilising the app's 'edit image' button, the private Grok tab, or Grok Imagine, the bot's dedicated video creator. Ofcom has demanded X and xAI explain themselves by Friday, with regulators specifically investigating whether the companies are taking adequate steps to prevent illegal content reaching British users.
Interestingly, even sceptics of online regulation have acknowledged the severity of the problem. Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and prolific X user, stated the party does not support Grok's ability to digitally undress people, though he cautioned against overreach: 'My fear is we'll end up suppressing Grok and further suppressing free speech and we do not want to do that.' His measured response underscores how broadly this issue transcends traditional political divisions in the UK.
Ofcom's investigation will examine whether X failed to remove illegal content promptly and whether it took appropriate steps to prevent UK users from accessing harmful material.
With a 31 January deadline for enforcement actions looming, the future of X in Britain now hangs in the balance.
