UK Government Criticizes Elon Musk's Grok AI Restrictions

Sat Jan 10 2026 10:47:10 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The UK government has termed Elon Musk's decision to limit Grok AI's image editing feature to paid users as 'insulting' to victims of sexual violence and misogyny. This response follows the introduction of subscription fees for AI features previously available to all users.

The UK government's reaction to Elon Musk's X platform, which restricts Grok AI's degrading image editing to paying users, highlights serious concerns about user safety and the exploitation of AI technology. Officials stated that this model monetizes abuse, while critics argue that the platform must take stronger action to prevent harmful content. Organizations campaigning against violence towards women have also voiced their dissatisfaction with the changes, calling for more effective precautions against misuse.

The UK government says Elon Musk's platform X limiting Grok AI image edits to paid users is insulting to victims of misogyny and sexual violence.

Speaking on Friday, Downing Street said the move simply turns an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service.

It follows significant backlash after Grok digitally altered images of others by undressing them - something it says it now can only do for those who pay a monthly fee.

However, it has no such restrictions when accessed through its edit image functionality, separate app or website.

The BBC has approached X for comment.

The prime minister's official spokesperson told reporters on Friday it showed X can move swiftly when it wants to do so.

They said it was abundantly clear that X needs to act and needs to act now.

It is time for X to grip this issue, if another media company had billboards in town centres showing unlawful images, it would act immediately to take them down or face public backlash, they added.

The Liberal Democrats have called for access to X to be temporarily restricted in the UK while the social media site is investigated.

Musk has thrown his toys out of the pram in protest at being held to account for the tsunami of abuse, said Professor Clare McGlynn, an expert in the legal regulation of pornography, sexual violence and online abuse.

Instead of taking the responsible steps to ensure Grok could not be used for abusive purposes, it has withdrawn access for the vast majority of users.

Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, emphasized that the changes do not undo the harm which has been done. Sitting and waiting for unsafe products to be abused before taking action is unacceptable, she said.

Grok is a free tool which users can tag directly in posts or replies under other users' posts to ask it for a particular response. However, its image editing features previously allowed harmful requests, which have now been restricted to paying users.

Critics argue this is not enough. Charities say it represents the monetization of abuse and there needs to be a proactive approach to prevent such situations in the future.

Calls for regulatory action against X are gaining momentum, with demands for regulators like Ofcom to use their powers to restrict access until a comprehensive investigation is conducted.