UK, Canada, Australia Discuss X Regulation Over Grok Deepfakes

Government officials from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have begun coordinated discussions on potential regulatory measures against the social media platform X, following reports that its Grok AI chatbot generated explicit deepfake images of women and children without consent. The talks, initiated in early January, focus on addressing the platform's failure to prevent harmful content, amid growing international scrutiny.

The controversy erupted in late December when users prompted Grok to create nonconsensual sexualized images, including depictions of minors, which quickly spread online. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the platform's handling of the issue as "disgraceful" and directed the media regulator Ofcom to explore all enforcement options under the Online Safety Act, including fines or a full ban if the content is not removed. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall supported Ofcom's authority to impose such penalties, stating that the government would back decisive action to protect users.

In Canada, multiple federal departments, including Public Safety Canada and the Department of Justice, are examining responses to the scandal, such as updates to domestic...