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The government has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, signalling it is prepared to block access to its Grok chatbot in the UK if it fails to comply with British law on online safety.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said on Friday that ministers are moving swiftly to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent, as concerns mount over the misuse of AI tools to generate sexualised images of women and children.
Her comments follow reports that Grok, xAI’s chatbot integrated into the social media platform X, has continued to allow users to generate sexually manipulated images if they are willing to pay for premium access, despite public assurances that safeguards had been tightened.
Kendall described the practice as “despicable and abhorrent”, adding that it was “totally unacceptable” for any platform to profit from such content.
She said the government expects the media regulator Ofcom to act decisively and without delay. “I, and more importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom update on next steps in days, not weeks,” she said, urging the regulator to use the full range of powers granted by Parliament under the Online Safety Act.
The Technology Secretary explicitly reminded xAI that UK law allows regulators to block services from being accessed domestically if they refuse to comply. She said that any decision by Ofcom to use those powers would have the government’s “full support”.
Kendall confirmed that ministers are also legislating to ban so-called “nudification” apps, which use AI to digitally undress individuals without consent. The measure is included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently before Parliament.
In addition, she said new legal powers will come into force within weeks to make the creation of non-consensual intimate images a criminal offence, closing a loophole that has allowed AI-generated abuse to spread faster than enforcement mechanisms.
She also warned that platforms are expected to comply fully with Ofcom’s new guidance on violence against women and girls (VAWG). “If they do not,” she said, “I am prepared to go further.”
The intervention marks one of the strongest signals yet that the government is willing to escalate its response to AI-driven abuse, particularly where children and women are targeted.
“We are as determined to ensure women and girls are safe online as we are to ensure they are safe in the real world,” Kendall said. “No excuses.”
