UK Government Condemns "Insulting" Change To Grok AI
The UK government has criticised Elon Musk’s social media platform X after it restricted image editing on its Grok AI tool to paying users, calling the move “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.
The restriction of image editing to paid users only came after widespread anger over Grok being used to digitally alter images, often of women, to remove clothing or place them in sexualised situations. Campaigners and regulators have also raised alarms about the tool being used to generate illegal images of children. Grok now responds to image-editing requests with the message: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.”
Downing Street said this was not a real fix. A spokesperson said the decision “simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service” and stressed: “It’s not a solution. In fact, it’s insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously described images created using Grok as “disgraceful” and “disgusting”, urging X to take immediate action. His spokesperson said the change showed the company “can move swiftly when it wants to do so” but added that it was time for X to properly get control of the issue.
Pressure has also come from charities and experts. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said its analysts had found criminal images of girls aged between 11 and 13 that appeared to have been created using Grok. Hannah Swirsky, the IWF’s head of policy, said limiting access does not undo the damage already caused and argued the tool should never have been capable of creating such content in the first place.
Legal experts echoed those concerns, warning that restricting features to paid users only shifts responsibility rather than addressing the underlying design of the technology. Some pointed to similarities with X’s earlier response to AI-generated sexual images of public figures, where access was blocked only after public outcry.
Regulator Ofcom has made urgent contact with X and said it has wide powers under the Online Safety Act, including seeking court orders that could restrict access to the platform in the UK. Liberal Democrat MPs have urged the regulator to go further, calling for temporary restrictions on X while an investigation takes place.
Downing Street said it fully supports Ofcom using all its available powers, with the prime minister’s office stressing that “all options are on the table”. Senior Labour figures have also said discussions are ongoing across government about their own use of the platform, with some ministers considering whether to remain on X at all.
X has said that anyone using Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as uploading such material directly, including account suspensions and cooperation with law enforcement. However, critics argue that enforcement after harm occurs is not enough and that AI tools should be built with safeguards from the start.
