London: A UK child protection group has issued a warning that artificial intelligence tools owned by Elon Musk are allegedly being used to generate illegal sexual images of children. Investigators have identified material purportedly created using the Grok Imagine feature circulating on dark web forums.

According to Anadolu Agency - English, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reported that its analysts discovered sexualized images of girls aged 11 to 13. These images meet the UK legal definition of child sexual abuse material and appear to have been generated using the AI tool. Ngaire Alexander, head of the IWF hotline, expressed concerns about the potential mainstreaming of sexual AI imagery of children through tools like Grok.

The findings have increased political pressure within the UK. On Wednesday, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee announced it would cease using Musk-owned social media platform X, due to concerns over the misuse of Grok. Downing Street indicated that 'all options are on the table,' while Science Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized the urgency for X to address the issue. Kendall also stated the government's support for Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, to investigate and act where laws are breached.

The Information Commissioner's Office has reached out to X and its owner xAI to clarify their compliance with UK data protection laws and the protection of individuals' rights. X has responded by stating that it removes illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, suspends offending accounts, and cooperates with law enforcement.

Global scrutiny has extended beyond the UK, with Indonesia issuing a warning that X could face a ban over obscene content involving minors. Jakarta's preliminary findings suggest that Grok lacks adequate safeguards to prevent the creation and dissemination of pornographic material based on real images. Alexander Sabar, director general of Indonesia's Digital Space Supervision, warned that access to Grok and X could be terminated if violations persist.

The situation mirrors actions in Europe, where French authorities have reported sexually explicit deepfakes allegedly created by Grok on X to investigators. The European Commission is taking the chatbot's outputs 'very seriously,' further amplifying global pressure on Musk-owned AI tools.