British PM says 'will not back down' on X's Grok AI issue

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the United Kingdom "will not back down" on the issue of X's AI chatbot Grok, declaring that the government "will take necessary measures" to ensure the platform complies with British law.

Starmer described the actions of Grok as "disgusting" and "shameful," and criticized the decision to make it a premium service as "horrific."

Starmer said the government is "absolutely determined to take action" and that if X does not comply, "Ofcom (the Office of Communications) has our full backing".

The announcement followed a formal investigation launched by Britain's online safety regulator Ofcom into X's use of Grok to generate sexualized images of women and children.

Ofcom described the case as its "highest priority" and said it could block access to the service "where appropriate."

X and xAI, both owned by US entrepreneur Elon Musk, have faced mounting criticism following reports that Grok was used to generate allegedly illegal sexual content. In response, image editing on Grok has been limited to paid subscribers.

The prime minister's spokesman said that the latest move "simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service," calling it "not a solution" and "insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual violence."