Keir Starmer is personally “boycotting” X over Grok AI deepfakes, it has been reported.
The Prime Minister has been posting consistently on Facebook and Instagram, but hasn’t posted on Elon Musk’s platform since 8 January.
It comes amid increasing concerns about the use of X’s AI assistant, called Grok, to generate sexualised images of people and remove clothes in photos.
The government is particularly concerned by the possibility it is being used to create sexualised images of children.
This has led to Keir Starmer confirming that he had asked media regulator Ofcom for “all options to be on the table” for possible action against X.
But, according to leading news aggregator Politics UK, Sir Keir has ordered officials not to post on his account in a bid to lead by example.
On Monday, communications watchdog Ofcom launched an investigation into X to investigate whether the platform has complied with its duties under the new Online Safety Act to protect British users from illegal content.
“There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualized images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material,” Ofcom said.
Last week, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she expected Ofcom to move quickly on the issue, and that the regulator would have her “full support” to block access to X if the platform refused to comply with the law.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage said the government risks “suppressing free speech” with the move, adding: “Nothing from the current set of regulators in government would surprise me when it comes to the suppression of free speech. Do we like and welcome the particular feature on Grok that has made the news over the weekend? No, but let’s talk to Grok.
“They’ve already made one or two steps in our direction. My fear is we’ll end up suppressing Grok and further suppressing free speech, and we do not want to do that.”