criticizedThe UK government has strongly criticised changes made to Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok, calling the decision offensive to victims of misogyny and sexual abuse.
turnedDowning Street said restricting Grok’s image editing features to paid users does not solve the problem.
No.No 10 Says X Can Act Faster
They added that it is now clear the company must take immediate action.
“If any media company displayed illegal images in public spaces, it would be forced to remove them at once or face serious consequences,” the spokesperson said.
Calls to Restrict X in the UK
Professor Clare McGlynn, a legal expert on online abuse and sexual violence, accused Musk of avoiding responsibility.
Hannah Swirsky from the Internet Watch Foundation said the move fails to address the harm already caused.
She said the tool should never have been able to create this type of content in the first place.
Abuse Moved Behind a Paywall
dehumanized.Many women told the BBC these images made them feel humiliated and dehumanised.
As of Friday, users attempting to edit images are told the feature is now limited to paying subscribers, with a prompt to subscribe to unlock access. Reports suggest only verified users with paid accounts can now make successful image edit requests.
Experts Say the Fix Is Not Enough
-based“The system needs ethical safeguards built in from the start,” she said.
Refuge charity echoed this concern, saying the move effectively allows X to profit from abuse.
monetizes“Placing abuse behind a paywall does not stop it,” said Emma Pickering from Refuge. “It simply monetises harm.”
Andrea Simon from the End Violence Against Women coalition said she remains unconvinced that X will take meaningful action.
Pattern of Delayed Action
She said Musk is likely to frame the issue as a free speech debate.
“But regulation does not stop innovation,” she said. “It simply requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.”
