UK ministers have condemned the misuse of the tool, which has been used to generate and edit sexualised images of real people without their consent.
Elon Musk has previously insisted ‘anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content’ (PA)
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And Ofcom has now launched an investigation to determine whether X has failed to comply with online safety laws.
A number of countries have now banned Grok, and there have been calls for the UK to block the platform too.
Here, we look at what Grok is, how it is being abused, and how governments around the world are intervening.
Grok is a free AI chatbot developed by xAI, the artificial-intelligence company owned by Elon Musk.
Launched in November 2023, it is integrated into X, where users can tag Grok directly in posts or replies under other users’ posts to ask it for a particular response, or to generate or edit images using AI.
It has been designed to provide candid responses and creative outputs, with a reputation for looser content moderation than competitors – which is where the current issue lies.
Why is Grok attracting controversy?
Grok has been all over the headlines in the past few days, as the chatbot was responding to user requests to create sexually explicit images of real individuals without their consent.
There have been thousands of requests asking Grok to edit images of women to show them in bikinis or little clothing, with some content appearing to involve minors.
Elon Musk, founder of X, is facing backlash over X’s AI chatbot which has been used to create sexualised deepfakes
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Will it be banned in the UK?
There is growing pressure to block Grok in the UK following the widespread misuse.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall has said that she would back the move, leading Musk to accuse the government of wanting to suppress free speech.
Ms Kendall said the UK’s Online Safety Act “includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK, if they refuse to comply with UK law” and “if Ofcom decide to use those powers they will have our full support”.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall is set to give a statement in the Commons on Monday (Ben Whitley/PA)
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Ofcom, the online safety watchdog, can fine or block apps or websites that repeatedly fail to address harmful content.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom could also seek a court order to prevent third parties from helping X raise money or be accessed in the UK, should they refuse to comply.
A number of other UK ministers have also been quick to condemn Grok, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the sexualised images “disgraceful” and “disgusting”.
Business secretary Peter Kyle said the government would fully support any action taken by Ofcom, including the possibility that the platform could be blocked in the UK.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that X “needs to go further” than the changes it had put in place – but added that said the idea of banning X in the UK would be an attack on free speech.
In a statement this morning, Ofcom said there had been “deeply concerning reports” of the AI chatbot being used to create and share undressed images of people, as well as “sexualised images of children”.
Over the weekend, a Trump administration official likened the possible UK action against X to censorship in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Where has it been banned and why?
Malaysia and Indonesia have already blocked access to Grok due to their ability to produce pornographic and non-consensual images involving women and children, announced the bans over the weekend.
Indonesia’s communications and digital affairs minister Meutya Hafid said that using Grok to produce sexually explicit content is a violation of human rights, dignity and online safety.
Authorities in the country have banned a number of sources of pornographic material in recent years, such as OnlyFans and Pornhub.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission cited similar concerns, adding that xAI’s safeguards were inadequate.
Turkey restricted the use of Grok in mid-2025, after it generated output deemed insulting to President Erdogan, violating local laws.