Musk says Labour seeking 'any excuse for censorship' amid X row

Elon Musk criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the UK government and regulator Ofcom review X and the Grok AI tool after reports of AI-generated sexualised images; two Commons committees have asked Ofcom for a response by January 16.

Elon Musk publicly pushed back at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying Labour was looking for "any excuse for censorship" as the social media platform X faces scrutiny over AI-generated images linked to the Grok tool. The UK government and regulator Ofcom have raised concerns and say they are examining the matter. X changed some Grok settings to limit certain image-editing features to paid subscribers, while reports say other editing routes remained available. Two Commons committees have written to Ofcom and asked for a response by January 16. Key facts: - The Prime Minister said he was leaving "all options" on the table and called on X to take action after reports about Grok-generated images. - Ofcom announced it is undertaking an "expedited assessment" and has urgently contacted X and xAI, the firm behind Grok. - X limited some image-generation and editing features to paying users, though reporting indicated other ways to create or edit images were still accessible. - Two parliamentary committees have written to Ofcom requesting a reply by January 16, and ministers have noted potential regulatory powers under the Online Safety Act. Summary: Ofcom's expedited assessment is currently underway and political pressure on X has increased. Two Commons committees have asked Ofcom for a response by January 16, and ministers have said further updates are expected in days rather than weeks. The longer-term regulatory outcome is undetermined at this time.