Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk, urging the tech billionaire to rein in his AI chatbot Grok after it was reportedly used to create sexualized images of women

and children. Speaking to Labour MPs, Starmer said: “If X cannot control Grok, we will.”

The Prime Minister condemned the misuse of the AI tool, which allows users to generate “nudified” images of real people, calling the practice “absolutely disgusting and shameful.” He emphasized that protecting abusers rather than their victims demonstrates a “total distortion of priorities” and vowed swift government intervention if X, Musk’s social media platform, fails to act.

Regulatory pressure mounts

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced this week that the government is introducing new regulations to criminalize the creation of non-consensual intimate images using AI. She described such images as “weapons of abuse, disproportionately aimed at women and girls, and they are illegal.” Kendall also confirmed plans to ban so-called “nudification” apps.

The row follows X’s decision to restrict Grok’s functionality to paying subscribers, a move intended to make users traceable if they generate abusive images. Kendall criticized this step as “monetising abuse” and called for a complete ban.

Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has launched an investigation into whether X has breached the law, with the power to issue fines reaching into the billions of pounds.

Elon Musk pushes back

Musk has defended Grok as a free speech issue, accusing the government of “fascism” for attempting to impose restrictions. The controversy escalated after Musk posted a doctored image of Starmer in a bikini, prompting fears of an international backlash, including from US officials concerned about online free speech.

While some Labour MPs have called for the government to quit X entirely in protest, Kendall said that withdrawing from the platform is not currently planned, citing that roughly a quarter of its 19 million UK users rely on it as a primary news source.

Government options

Kendall stressed that “all options are on the table” if X refuses to comply with the new regulations, though ministers privately believe Musk may be compelled to act due to global pressure. Conservative technology spokesperson Julia Lopez welcomed Ofcom’s intervention but warned that action should also extend to protecting women and girls offline, criticizing Labour for perceived shortcomings in other areas of safeguarding.

The government’s move represents a growing effort to clamp down on AI-enabled abuse and reinforces the message that platforms profiting from harm will face accountability. Photo by X.AI Corp., Wikimedia commons.