The billionaire appeared defiant on Friday night despite the outcry over reports X’s AI chatbot Grok was creating sexualised images of people, including children, at users’ request. But Mr Musk responded by sharing a post from US legislator Anna Paulina Luna threatening to sanction both Sir Keir Starmer and the UK if X was blocked in the country. On Friday, X appeared to have changed Grok’s settings, with the chatbot telling users that only paid subscribers could ask it to manipulate images. However, reports suggested this only applied to those making requests in reply to other posts, and other ways of editing or creating images, including on a separate Grok website, remained open. Ofcom has powers under the Online Safety Act to fine businesses up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, as well as to take criminal action.

Source: The Times January 09, 2026 23:02 UTC