Elon Musk’s X Under UK Investigation Over Grok’s Sexualized A.I. Images

Britain Investigates Elon Musk’s X Over Grok’s Sexualized A.I. ImagesA British regulator said it had started a formal investigation into Mr. Musk’s chatbot over the spread of illegal images.Grok’s prompt page on a phone. In recent weeks, the chatbot has posted sexualized photos of real people, including children, in response to user prompts.Credit...Andria Lo for The New York TimesJan. 12, 2026Updated 9:19 a.m. ETBritish authorities on Monday announced an investigation into X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, over the spread of artificially generated sexual images of women and children.Ofcom, the British regulator with oversight of online platforms, said it had started a formal inquiry to consider whether X had violated a law that aims to stop the spread in Britain of “priority” illegal content, including nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.Sexually explicit images generated by Grok, Mr. Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, have flooded X in recent weeks. In response to simple user prompts on X, the chatbot automatically created and publicly posted manipulated photos of real people, including children, in skimpy clothing and in sexually provocative situations.Many women who have been subjects of the Grok-generated sexualized images have reacted with horror and called on Mr. Musk to remove features that allow such activity.Ofcom said in a statement that “platforms must protect people in the U.K. from content that’s illegal in the U.K., and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.”The regulator did not set a firm timeline for the investigation but said it was a matter of the “highest priority.” X could face fines of up to 18 million pounds ($24 million), or 10 percent of its worldwide revenue, whichever is higher.If X is found to have broken the law and refuses to comply with Ofcom’s requests for action, the regulator has the power, if necessary, to seek a court order that would prevent payment providers and advertisers from working with X. It could also, in cases where a court finds “significant harm” to individuals, require internet service providers to block access to the platform altogether inside the country.Ofcom said it had been in communication with xAI, the parent company that controls X and Grok, to understand the steps it is taking to protect users in Britain.Last week, X reacted to the growing outrage over the images by announcing that only paying customers would be able to use Grok’s image-making tool. A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said the change was “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence. It “simply turns an A.I. feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service,” he added.Mr. Musk has claimed the controversy over the images is a pretext for governments to attack “free speech.” He recently posted an A.I.-generated image of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a bikini.“Why is the U.K. government so fascist?” Mr. Musk wrote on X on Jan. 10. He has also boasted that the controversy has led to more downloads of the app.Mr. Musk and X could not be reached for comment.Mr. Musk’s social media platform has seen its business deteriorate in Britain. Last week, the company disclosed that annual revenue in 2024 fell 58 percent to 28.9 million pounds, while gross profit slumped to £1.1 million, from £13.5 million.The company attributed the slide to a drop in advertising sales because businesses have “concerns about brand safety, reputation and/or content moderation.”Over the weekend, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first two countries to ban Grok, blocking access to the application in their countries. Authorities in the European Union, France, Brazil and elsewhere have also said they are reviewing X over the spread of sexual images of people without their consent.The growing uproar risks creating wider geopolitical tension. President Trump and other administration officials have defended Mr. Musk against other attempts in Europe to regulate X, calling it an attack on free speech.Adam Satariano is a technology correspondent for The Times, based in London.SKIP