The government has issued a stark warning to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, signaling that it is prepared to block access to its Grok chatbot in the UK if it breaches UK online safety laws.
Technology Minister Liz Kendall said on Friday that ministers were taking swift action to criminalize the creation of intimate images without consent as concerns grow about the misuse of AI tools to produce sexualised images of women and children.
Her comments follow reports that Grok, xAI’s chatbot, has entered the social media platform
Kendall described the practice as “despicable and abhorrent,” adding that it was “completely unacceptable” for a platform to profit from such content.
She said the government expects media regulator Ofcom to act decisively and immediately. “I, and especially the public, would expect Ofcom to advise on next steps in days, not weeks,” she said, calling on the regulator to use the full range of powers granted by Parliament under the Online Safety Act.
The Technology Minister specifically reminded xAI that UK law allows regulators to block access to services domestically if they refuse to comply. She said any decision by Ofcom to use these powers would have the “full support” of the government.
Kendall confirmed that ministers are also introducing legislation to ban so-called “nudity” apps, which use AI to digitally undress people without consent. The measure is included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently before Parliament.
Additionally, she said new legal powers will come into force within weeks to make the creation of non-consensual intimate images a criminal offense, closing a loophole that has allowed AI-generated abuse to spread faster than enforcement mechanisms.
She also warned that platforms would be expected to fully comply with Ofcom’s new violence against women and girls (VAWG) guidance. “If not,” she said, “I’m willing to go further.”
The intervention is one of the strongest signals yet that the government is ready to step up its response to AI-driven abuse, particularly when children and women are targeted.
“We are just as committed to keeping women and girls safe online as we are to keeping them safe in the real world,” Kendall said. “No excuses.”
