A previous member of the Cabinet has urged the Labour Party and the Government to completely sever ties with Elon Musk’s X platform following reports of its AI chatbot being used to produce sexualized deepfake images of minors.
Louise Haigh, a former Transport Secretary, condemned the social media platform for facilitating child sexual abuse, deeming it unacceptable to continue using the site. Keir Starmer also called on X to take immediate action after its AI tool, Grok, was implicated in generating inappropriate images of children. The Prime Minister emphasized that such behavior breaks the law and emphasized a zero-tolerance stance.
Concerns were raised by Ofcom regarding X and xAI’s AI tool, Grok, which allegedly produced sexualized images of children. Ofcom swiftly engaged with Musk’s company over these serious issues. Starmer reiterated the urgency to address the situation, emphasizing that all options are being considered to combat this unlawful behavior.
In response to the controversy, Ms. Haigh expressed her disillusionment with X/Twitter, citing a deteriorating environment on the platform, particularly since Musk’s involvement and the enabling of child sexual abuse. She called for both her party and the government to disengage from X and engage with the public on safer platforms.
Following revelations of the misuse of Grok, Downing Street supported potential actions against X, with Liz Kendall urging immediate action and full support for Ofcom’s enforcement measures. The government reiterated its commitment to combatting inappropriate content and protecting online users.
Grok’s X account acknowledged the concerns raised and pledged to enhance safeguards to prevent harmful content. Musk announced the release of a new Grok version, urging users to update their app.
Ngaire Alexander from the Internet Watch Foundation highlighted the discovery of criminal imagery involving children, allegedly created using Grok. The Foundation expressed deep concern over the potential harm caused by such tools and emphasized the need for strict regulations to prevent the dissemination of abusive material, especially involving minors.
