MPs ‘deeply alarmed’ by Grok AI images, says Education Committee Chair

MPs are “deeply alarmed” by recent reports of the Grok AI chatbot being used to create undressed and sexualised images of women and children, the Chair of a cross-party committee has said, in a letter published today.

Helen Hayes, Chair of the Education Committee, has today written to Ofcom’s Chief Executive, Melanie Dawes. The Chair writes that the decision of X, which hosts the chatbot, to make the service partially paid-for rather than immediately stopping it, could amount to intimate image abuse or the creation of child sexual abuse material.

The Chair says the reports about Grok are “unacceptable”, raise serious questions about the adequacy of safeguarding on online platforms operating in the UK, and that the Committee fully supports Ofcom’s investigation.

“We cannot overstate the societal harm caused by the sexualisation and exploitation of women and children online,” the Chair says. “These practices perpetuate abuse offline, erode privacy and inflict lasting damage on mental health and wellbeing.”

The Chair requests regular updates on the investigation and calls for Ofcom to ensure all platforms operating in the UK implement “robust, proactive safeguards”. 

Helen Hayes, Chair of the Education Committee, said:

“I and my fellow Committee members have been extremely alarmed by reports of the Grok chatbot being used to create illegal, exploitative and abusive images of women and even children. This is not only an online phenomenon; we know online abuse is a gateway to offline abuse and exploitation too.

I fully support Ofcom’s decision to investigate this worrying issue. I urge regulators to act quickly and decisively, given the rapid pace at which technology can develop, and to use every tool available to ensure no platform operating in the UK tolerates exploitation and abuse.”