The UK government is enacting new legislation to outlaw the creation of sexually explicit AI-generated images without a person's consent, with the first laws coming into force on 6 February 2026. This urgent move follows a global outcry over the misuse of Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot to produce thousands of non-consensual intimate images, including depictions of women and children.
Scandal Prompts Legal Crackdown
The push for new regulations intensified after it was revealed that Grok's 'Imagine' image generator had been used to create so-called 'nudification' deepfakes. Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into whether Musk's platform, X, breached UK laws by hosting these images, which it says may constitute illegal pornography or child sexual abuse material.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall cited a damning report from the Internet Watch Foundation, stating the AI-generated content included the sexualisation of 11-year-olds and images of women subjected to physical abuse. "The content which has circulated on X is vile. It is not just an affront to decent society, it is illegal," she declared.
What the New UK Laws Will Do
Authorities are fast-tracking two key legal changes. First, provisions in the already-passed Data (Use and Access) Act will be enacted, making it a criminal offence to create or request a deepfake intimate image. Justice Secretary David Lammy issued a stark warning: "Let this be a clear message to every cowardly perpetrator hiding behind a screen: you will be stopped and... you will face the full force of the law."
Separately, the government is amending the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise the supply of 'nudification' tools themselves. Kendall stated this would "target the problem at its source" by making it illegal for companies to provide software designed explicitly for creating non-consensual intimate imagery.
Ongoing Scrutiny and Potential Penalties
The fallout for X and its owner, Elon Musk, continues. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed xAI's announcement of new safeguards for Grok but demanded X ensure "immediate" full compliance with UK law. "Free speech is not the freedom to violate consent," Starmer asserted on Thursday.
Kendall confirmed that, depending on Ofcom's investigation, X could face a fine of up to 10% of its global revenue and a potential court order blocking access to the site in the UK. While Musk has insisted Grok is designed to "obey the laws of any given country," the government says it will remain vigilant against any further transgressions.
