UK data regulator opens probe into X over sexual AI imagery

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Britain's data regulator on Tuesday launched probes into Elon Musk's X and xAI to see whether the companies complied with personal data law when it came to AI chatbot Grok's generation of sexualised deepfakes.

"The reported creation and circulation of such content raises serious concerns under UK data protection law and presents a risk of significant potential harm to the public," the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said in a statement.

It marks a wider UK probe over Grok, which is facing international backlash for allowing users to create and share sexualised pictures of women and children using simple text prompts.

Contacted by AFP, X did not immediately respond.

"Losing control of personal data in this way can cause immediate and significant harm," ICO executive director of regulatory risk, William Malcolm, said in the regulator's statement.

"This is particularly the case where children are involved. Where we find obligations have not been met, we will take action to protect the public," he added.

Britain's media regulator Ofcom opened a separate investigation into X last month, which it said Tuesday was still ongoing and would likely take months to conclude.

That probe questions whether X complied with the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms hosting potentially harmful content to implement strict age verification through tools such as facial imagery or credit card checks.

Ofcom said on Tuesday it was not currently investigating xAI, the Musk-owned startup that developed the Grok AI tool.

"Because of the way the (Online Safety) Act relates to chatbots... we are currently unable to investigate the creation of illegal images by the standalone Grok service in this case," it said in a statement.

Governments and regulators around the world are taking action against sexualised imagery created by Grok.

The European Union opened a probe into Grok at the end of January, and X's algorithms are also under investigation in France.