Liz Kendall welcomes new Grok restrictions after outcry over deepfakes

The Technology Secretary has said she will not rest until all social media companies comply with the law, as she welcomed new restrictions on X’s AI chatbot Grok.

Liz Kendall said she still expects media watchdog Ofcom to “fully and robustly” establish the facts after X announced limits on Grok’s ability to manipulate images.

The company said on Wednesday night it would prevent Grok “editing images of people in revealing clothes” and block users from generating similar images of real people in countries where it is illegal.

The move follows an outcry over reports of Grok users manipulating images of women and children in order to sexualise them.

Ms Kendall said: “Our Online Safety Act is and always has been about keeping people safe on social media – especially children – and it has given us the tools to hold X to account in recent days.

“I also want to thank those who have spoken out against this abuse, above all the victims.

“I shall not rest until all social media platforms meet their legal duties and provide a service that is safe and age-appropriate to all users.”

Ms Kendall did not specify which, if any, social media companies she believed were not currently complying with their legal duties.

Ofcom also welcomed the new restrictions, but said its investigation – launched on Monday – will continue as it seeks “answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it”.

X owner Elon Musk had previously claimed Grok would refuse to produce illegal content and appeared to blame “adversarial hacking” for the chatbot’s generation of sexualised images.

In a statement posted on X, the company later said it would “geoblock the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X in those jurisdictions where it’s illegal”.

Geoblocking prevents access to a feature for people based in particular countries, but the change still leaves open the possibility that it could be circumvented with a VPN.

The company said: “This adds an extra layer of protection by helping to ensure that individuals who attempt to abuse the Grok account to violate the law or our policies can be held accountable.”

The restriction will apply to all users, including paid subscribers, while image editing and creation will be limited to premium users.

A Downing Street source said the new restrictions were “a vindication for Keir Starmer”, who on Wednesday described Grok’s manipulation of images as “disgusting” and “shameful”.

The source said the Prime Minister had “shown he will always stand up for the people of this country – including the vulnerable – against the most powerful”.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said X’s response “shows how victims of abuse, campaigners and a show of strength from governments can force tech platforms to take action”.

And she called for more proactive measures from the Government to protect women and girls online, saying social media platforms could not be “left to regulate themselves”.

She said: “The cost of inaction is too great, with countless women and girls harmed before Grok’s image generation tools were disabled.

“We expect the Government to do more to ensure tech platforms can’t profit from online abuse.”