Critics of the social media platform X “want any excuse for censorship”, Elon Musk has asserted as his site faces the possibility of being blocked in the UK due to concerns over deepfake pornography and child abuse imagery, reports RTE.
The billionaire showed defiance last night amid widespread backlash following reports that X’s AI chatbot Grok was generating sexualised images of individuals, including children, upon user requests.
Highlighting allegations that other AI tools produced non-sexualised images of women in bikinis, he posted on X: “They want any excuse for censorship.”
Much of the criticism directed at X has centred on Grok’s ability to create images depicting child abuse and to alter photographs of real women and girls by removing their clothing, reports RTE.
Since the end of December, newly introduced image editing capabilities on Grok have enabled users to produce sexually explicit images of people, including minors.
This development has sparked intense condemnation from politicians, regulators, and advocacy organisations.
X seemed to adjust Grok’s settings yesterday, with the chatbot informing users that only paid subscribers could request image manipulations, reports RTE.
However, reports indicated this restriction applied only to requests made in replies to other posts, while alternative methods of editing or generating images, including through a dedicated Grok website, continued to be accessible.
Minister of State with responsibility for AI Niamh Smyth has labelled X’s decision to place certain Grok image editing features behind a paywall as “window dressing”.
X has reached out to Ms Smyth to confirm that company representatives will meet with her in the coming weeks, after she requested such a meeting earlier this week, reports RTE.
Children’s Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon stated yesterday that the update “makes no major difference”.
Media regulator Coimisiún na Meán has indicated it is in discussions with the European Commission regarding the issues, and X has been approached for comment.
The platform has previously stated that it removes illegal content on X, including child sexual abuse material, by deleting it, permanently banning accounts, and cooperating with governments and law enforcement agencies, reports RTE.
In Britain, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she would support regulator Ofcom if it chose to effectively block X for non-compliance with UK laws, declaring: “Sexually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent.”
Ofcom reported it was carrying out an “expedited assessment” following contact from X and responded to an urgent outreach on Monday.
In response, Mr Musk shared a post from US legislator Anna Paulina Luna warning of potential sanctions against both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the UK should X be restricted in the country, reports RTE.
Regarding yesterday’s modifications to image editing limits, Ms Kendall described it as “totally unacceptable for Grok to allow this if you’re willing to pay for it” and stated she anticipated an update on Ofcom’s further actions “in days, not weeks”.
Ofcom holds powers under the Online Safety Act to impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, pursue criminal proceedings, and direct payment providers, advertisers, and internet service providers to cease dealings with a site, effectively banning it, subject to court approval.
Ms Kendall also referred to forthcoming measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to prohibit nudification apps, and noted that legislation criminalising the creation of intimate images without consent is expected to take effect in the coming weeks, reports RTE.
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