The UK’s knowledge safety authority launched a proper investigation into X and its Irish subsidiary over experiences that the Grok AI assistant was used to generate nonconsensual sexual pictures.
This announcement comes after the ICO contacted X and xAI on January 7, looking for pressing data on the measures taken to adjust to knowledge safety regulation following experiences that Grok created sexually specific pictures utilizing people’ private knowledge.
The Data Commissioner’s Workplace (ICO) mentioned at the moment that it’s going to look at whether or not X Web Limitless Firm (XIUC) and X.AI LLC (X.AI) processed private knowledge lawfully and whether or not sufficient safeguards had been in place to stop Grok from creating dangerous, manipulated pictures.
The ICO additionally famous that shedding management over private knowledge, when safeguards usually are not in place to stop the creation of AI-generated intimate imagery, could cause instant and vital hurt, notably involving youngsters.
“The experiences about Grok increase deeply troubling questions on how folks’s private knowledge has been used to generate intimate or sexualised pictures with out their information or consent, and whether or not the required safeguards had been put in place to stop this,” mentioned William Malcolm, ICO’s head of regulatory threat and innovation.
“Dropping management of non-public knowledge on this approach could cause instant and vital hurt. That is notably the case the place youngsters are concerned.”
Because the UK’s unbiased knowledge safety regulator, the privateness watchdog can impose fines of as much as £17.5 million or 4% of an organization’s worldwide annual turnover.
At present, French prosecutors additionally raided X’s Paris workplaces as a part of a felony probe inspecting whether or not Grok generated baby sexual abuse materials and Holocaust denial content material. The French authorities additionally summoned Elon Musk, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, and extra X staff for interviews in April.
In January 2026, the European Fee launched its personal formal investigation to search out whether or not X correctly assessed dangers underneath the Digital Providers Act earlier than deploying Grok on its platform after it was used to generate sexually specific pictures.
X can also be being investigated by the Workplace of California Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta and Ofcom (the UK’s unbiased on-line security watchdog) over nonconsensual sexually specific content material generated utilizing Grok.
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