The UK’s safeguarding minister has urged law enforcement to actively pursue individuals who utilize Elon Musk’s Grok platform to create harmful deepfake images of children.

In a statement to The Mirror, Jess Phillips expressed strong disapproval of X’s Grok AI service, emphasizing the need for accountability amidst mounting outrage over its actions. Grok’s AI capabilities have sparked controversy by producing altered images, including those of minors, without their consent.

Phillips condemned the existence of such features, highlighting the devastating impact on lives due to the resulting exploitation. Following X’s announcement that Grok’s deepfake generation would become a “premium service” exclusively for paying users, Phillips dismissed this move as inadequate.

She emphasized the imperative for law enforcement to vigorously pursue those responsible for producing or disseminating such disturbing AI-generated images. Phillips stressed that individuals found in possession of such abhorrent material could face significant penalties, including up to 10 years of imprisonment.

Regarding the restriction of Grok’s image generator to paying users, Phillips criticized it as insufficient, asserting that tools creating degrading non-consensual content should not be permissible under any circumstances. She called on X to collaborate with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with the law, underscoring the severe repercussions of the ongoing abuse disproportionately affecting women and girls.

Phillips reiterated the legal obligation of social media platforms to promptly remove such content, warning of substantial fines by the regulator Ofcom for non-compliance. She urged Ofcom to decisively exercise its enforcement powers, emphasizing the enduring trauma inflicted by child sexual abuse.

Celebrities like Maya Jama have demanded an end to the platform’s generation of unauthorized images. Proposed legislation by the government aims to criminalize the creation, possession, and distribution of illicit AI-generated images of minors, with potential penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment.

Labour’s violence against women and girls strategy commits to outlawing apps that facilitate the creation of non-consensual deepfake images of victims. Phillips affirmed the government’s commitment to swiftly enforce legislation against the unauthorized creation of intimate deepfake content using tools like Grok.

With growing concerns over Grok’s activities, Ofcom recently engaged with Musk’s X and xAI, expressing serious apprehensions about the sexualized images of children generated by Grok. In response, Grok acknowledged lapses in its safeguards and pledged urgent corrective measures to address the issue of child sexual abuse material within its platform.

Musk emphasized that individuals misusing Grok to produce illegal content would face consequences commensurate with uploading illegal material, underscoring the company’s zero-tolerance stance on such activities.