United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood firm on the possibility of banning X unless the platform“immediately” curbs deepfake pornography.
Starmer teased a ban on X after the company xAI, an X offshoot, developed its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, which alters images. A trend on X, which integrates Grok, has involved removing clothing from users who share photos online. These AI generative pornographic images are often referred to as “deepfakes.”
“Free speech is not the freedom to violate consent. Young women’s images are not public property, and their safety is not up for debate,” Starmer wrote on X Thursday.
This post was in response to allegations by X owner Elon Musk that the ban would amount to “censorship,” noting that other AI chatbots also alter photos, yet Starmer appears to be considering action against X alone. Musk insisted he is “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok,” in his own X post on Wednesday.
“I welcome that X is now acting to ensure full compliance with UK law – it must happen immediately. If we need to strengthen existing laws further, we are prepared to do that,” Starmer said.
Grok was created in November 2023, shortly after Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X. The image and video generation tool Grok Imagine was released in July 2025. The chatbot has its own app that includes a wider range of functions.
However, X has come under scrutiny for allowing such images on its platform. Last month, the European Union fined X $140 million for providing insufficient access to data and the deceptive design of verified markers for accounts.
NEWSOM CALLS TO ‘HOLD XAI ACCOUNTABLE’ FOR EXPLICIT DEEPFAKES
The Trump administration has a history of defending X. Musk previously served as a senior adviser to Trump last year and endorsed him ahead of the 2024 election. At the time of the fine from the EU, Vice President JD Vance suggested it was “for not engaging in censorship.”
A State Department official said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to retribution against the U.K. should it follow through with a ban.
