UK Government Considers Leaving X After Grok Generates Child Sexual Images
X's AI tool Grok was reportedly used to generate criminal imagery depicting children, confirmed by the Internet Watch Foundation. The UK Government faced calls to abandon the platform following the disclosures, though ministers initially resisted a full boycott despite demanding X improve its safeguards.
What happened
X's AI tool Grok was used to generate sexualised images of children aged between 11 and 13. The Internet Watch Foundation confirmed the existence of this 'criminal imagery' and reported that users were sharing the material in a dark web forum while 'boasting how they had used Grok, and how easy it had been'.
Reported impact
Former Labour cabinet minister Louise Haigh called the situation 'unconscionable' and urged the Labour Party and UK Government to 'remove themselves entirely from X' due to concerns about child sexual abuse material being created and shared on the platform.
Index analysis
The failure of Grok's safety mechanisms allowed the tool to generate criminal imagery depicting children. The shared reports of users boasting about the ease of creating such material suggest the tool lacked adequate safeguards or content filtering.
Governance controls
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded that X 'urgently get their act together' and threatened to take action against the platform. However, government sources rejected calls for a boycott, stating 'It is up to Elon Musk to make sure this is a platform where everyone can feel welcome.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.