Elon Musk's social media platform X is facing renewed scrutiny from the UK's communications regulator over whether it did enough to prevent illegal content, including sexual deepfakes generated using its Grok artificial intelligence chatbot.
Ofcom said on 14 October that its investigation into X had entered a new phase, with the regulator now assessing evidence to determine whether the platform met its legal obligations to protect people in the UK from illegal content.
The investigation follows reports that Grok was used to generate and share demeaning sexualised images of real people, including children. Ofcom said it had gathered extensive evidence using its formal powers to examine X's risk assessments, reporting mechanisms and content moderation decisions.
The regulator has not reached a final decision on whether X breached the law. If it finds reasonable grounds to believe the company failed to meet its obligations, it will issue a provisional view and give X an opportunity to respond before making a final determination.
Ofcom Raises Fresh Concerns Over X's Content Moderation
The Grok investigation is not the only issue facing X. Ofcom said the platform had submitted its first quarterly report on how it handles reports of suspected illegal hate and terrorist content.
The report showed improvements in how quickly X reviewed such material, with its performance falling within the response-time commitments agreed with the regulator.
In May, X committed to reviewing suspected illegal hate and terrorist content reported through its dedicated UK reporting tool within an average of 24 hours over a three-month period. It also pledged to review at least 85% of such reports within 48 hours.
However, Ofcom said faster reviews did not necessarily mean the platform was removing illegal material effectively.
The regulator said it continued to have concerns about the effectiveness of X's response and had received mixed reports about whether the company was maintaining its commitment to engage with independent experts.
Ofcom will cross-check X's reported performance against its own testing and examine further data before publishing another assessment early next year.
Grok Restrictions Introduced for UK Users
Ofcom said its investigation also identified circumstances in which age-restricted pornographic material remained accessible on X to accounts that had not verified they belonged to adults.
X has since changed its systems so that content labelled as pornography is consistently restricted for accounts that have not completed the platform's designated age-assurance checks.
The regulator said it would continue monitoring the effectiveness of these protections, while narrowing the remaining investigation to X's compliance with its illegal-content and complaints-handling duties.
Additional restrictions have also been introduced for the standalone Grok service following discussions between Ofcom and SpaceXAI, formerly known as xAI.
UK users are now restricted from viewing, generating or sharing pornographic content through Grok's standalone image-generation tools. The company has also introduced measures preventing companion chatbots, including Ani, from engaging in sexually explicit conversations with users in the UK.
These measures follow earlier restrictions designed to prevent people from using Grok to generate or view images of real people in revealing clothing.
Ofcom said it would continue monitoring the restrictions and engaging with SpaceXAI over how the Online Safety Act applies to standalone AI chatbot services.
Why Is Ofcom Investigating Grok and X?
Ofcom opened its investigation in January 2026 following reports that Grok was being used to produce and distribute sexualised images of real people, including children.
The central question is not simply whether an AI chatbot can generate harmful material. The regulator is examining the systems and processes X had in place to assess risks, allow users to report illegal content and respond appropriately when complaints were made.
Under the UK's Online Safety Act, platforms have legal responsibilities relating to illegal content. Ofcom is assessing whether X complied with the duties relevant to its investigation.
The distinction between content generated by an AI system and content distributed through a social media platform also matters. Ofcom said that when the investigation began, gaps in the law limited its ability to investigate the creation of illegal images within the standalone Grok service.
The regulator has since engaged with SpaceXAI over additional restrictions, but says it will continue considering the wider application of the legislation to standalone chatbot services.
Could X Face Penalties Under UK Online Safety Law?
Ofcom has not yet announced a finding that X breached the Online Safety Act in this investigation. The next step will depend on the evidence gathered by the regulator. If Ofcom believes there are reasonable grounds to conclude that X failed to meet its legal duties, it will issue a provisional view explaining its proposed findings.
X will then have an opportunity to respond before Ofcom reaches a final decision.
The regulator's latest update should therefore not be interpreted as a final ruling or an announcement of a penalty. It indicates that the investigation has progressed to the stage at which Ofcom will assess compliance against the evidence it has collected.
Separately, Ofcom will continue monitoring X's response to illegal hate and terrorist content, including whether it sustains the improvements recorded in its first quarterly report.
The regulator said it expected to provide a further assessment of X's performance early in 2027, once additional data had been received.
