Two countries have banned Grok AI so far – could the UK do the same? | News UK

A growing number of countries are blocking access to Grok, the AI chatbot created by Elon Musk and built into X.

But could the UK do the same?

Indonesia became the first to do so on Saturday under a law that platforms must ensure they do not contain or share illegal material.

X users trying to access Grok are now greeted by an error page.

Malaysia followed on Sunday, announcing that it was temporarily blocking the chatbot from Musk’s start-up, xAI.

Communication officials issued two warnings to X Corp and xAI on January 3 and January 8, with X saying users can report offending posts.

They found this response ‘inadequate’, saying the app will be restricted until tougher measures are rolled out.

How has the UK responded?

Ofcom said yesterday it is investigating X under the Online Safety Act (OSA) after sexually explicit images generated by Grok flooded X.

Metro has heard from women who say trolls made deepfakes of them pregnant or in ‘see-through bikinis’.

The media regulator could fine X or even ban the social media network altogether, a decision the government says it would support.

Nearly three in five people want X banned if Grok cannot be reined in, according to a poll by More In Common.

Whether Ofcom will do so is unclear, however, experts told Metro.

‘The UK approach is deliberately different to outright bans,’ Gus Tomlinson, the chief product and technology officer at the fraud prevention solutions provider GBG, says.

If Ofcom finds that X is breaking the law, the company will have 20 days to respond or request a hearing.

A ban is a ‘last resort’ for serious legal breaches, which Ofcom would need to get permission from the court to enforce.

‘Due process matters, both to protect victims and to ensure any action stands up legally, Tomlinson adds.

MeIisa Tourt, the communication and digital manager at The Centre for Policy Studies, says Ofcom is nowhere near the point of banning X.

‘There’s good reason that Liz Kendall told Ofcom to not take “months and months”, Ofcom are super slow and have been very delayed on almost everything to do with the OSA,’ she explains.

Blanket banning an app is not simply pressing a button – internet service providers need to restrict access, app stores need to take apps down and payment processors and advertisers need to pull out.

Despite the immense pressure from parliament, Tourt said she isn’t entirely convinced Grok or X will be banned for good.

X Corp, an xAI subsidiary, has so far been compliant with Ofcom, meeting the regulator’s tight Friday deadline.

‘I wouldn’t say their refusing to pay is them being uniquely difficult, as 10% of revenue – not even profits – has always been seen as an inconceivably high amount,’ Tourt added.

She warned, however, that much like the restrictions placed on pornographic websites, banning an app is easier said than done.

Users could use VPNs, which enable people to browse the web as if they were in a different country, to bypass the ban.

Tourt added: ‘If a ban does go ahead, it may be what prompts the gov to start seriously looking at VPN service restrictions.’

Whether the government would do this is unclear, Tourt said, as doing so could easily pave the way for other social media giants being investigated.

‘Which I imagine no one wants,’ she added.

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