Starmer threatens to ‘control’ Grok if Elon Musk’s X keeps creating sexual images

Tuesday, 13 January 2026 

Starmer Threatens Action Over X’s Grok AI After Sexualised Images Allegations

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the UK government will move to regulate X’s AI chatbot, Grok, if the platform fails to stop the creation of sexualised images of women and children.

Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Sir Keir described the actions linked to Grok and X as “absolutely disgusting and shameful,” accusing the platform of prioritising abusive users over the protection of vulnerable people.

“If X cannot control Grok, we will – and we’ll do it fast,” the prime minister said. “If you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self-regulate.”

Reports have emerged that Grok, X’s AI image-generation tool, has been used by users to create sexualised images of women and children, including manipulated photos that remove clothing or place individuals in explicit poses. Although X has restricted Grok’s image-creation feature to paying subscribers following global backlash, some non-paying users have claimed they are still able to generate such content.

Sir Keir said the situation showed a “total distortion of priorities,” adding: “Protecting abusive users rather than the women and children being abused is unacceptable. This government will stand up for the vulnerable against the powerful.”

Downing Street has indicated that it is prepared to reconsider the government’s use of X if the company fails to address concerns, stressing that “all options are on the table.”

Over the weekend, Elon Musk accused the UK government of seeking “any excuse for censorship” after Sir Keir said X needed to “get a grip” on Grok. Downing Street had also criticised the platform’s decision to limit safeguards to paid users, calling the move “insulting.”

The latest comments came just hours after Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced that the government is accelerating legislation to criminalise the creation of non-consensual intimate images using AI. She said both creating and requesting such images would become illegal from this week.

Ms Kendall explained that while the Data (Use and Access) Act was passed last year, she was expediting provisions related to AI-generated non-consensual intimate images. She also confirmed that the Crime and Policing Bill currently before parliament would make it an offence for companies to supply tools designed to produce such material.

Meanwhile, media regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into Grok, examining whether X has breached its obligations under the Online Safety Act. In a statement, Ofcom said there had been “deeply concerning reports” that Grok was being used to create and share undressed images of people and sexualised images of children, which could amount to intimate image abuse or child sexual abuse material.

Despite the growing criticism in the UK, US officials have announced closer cooperation with Musk’s AI technology. On Monday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that Grok would be integrated into Pentagon systems alongside Google’s generative AI tools, as part of efforts to expand the use of artificial intelligence across military data networks.