X still allowing users to post sexualised images generated by Grok AI tool
X has continued to allow users to post highly sexualised videos of women in bikinis generated by its AI tool Grok, despite the company’s claim to have cracked down on misuse.The Guardian was able to create short videos of people stripping to bikinis from photographs of fully clothed, real women.It was also possible to post this adult content on to X’s public platform without any sign of it being moderated, meaning the clip could be viewed within seconds by anyone with an account.It appeared to offer a straightforward workaround to restrictions announced by Elon Musk’s social network this week.These had been welcomed by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, who had described the photographs generated by Grok as “disgusting” and “shameful”.
After weeks of rising public concern, X said late on Wednesday it had “implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis”.It said the restriction would apply to all users, including paid subscribers, and it had “zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content”.But it did not specify whether people would still be able to create such images on the standalone Grok app, and then share this material publicly on X.The Guardian found that this standalone version of Grok, known as Grok Imagine – which is easily accessible through a web browser – was still responding to prompts to digitally remove the clothes from images of women.Reporters uploaded still images of fully clothed real-life women, and prompted the AI tool to dress them in bikinis.
The platform responded by going further than the request, to create short videos of the women removing their clothes in the manner of a sexually provocative striptease.X has been contacted for comment.Rebecca Hitchen, the head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said such a simple workaround should not be possible.“The continued ease of access to sophisticated nudification tools clearly demonstrates that X isn’t taking the issue of online violence against women and girls seriously enough,” she said.Hitchen called on the UK government and Ofcom, the media regulator, to pressure X and other platforms “to stop the proliferation of image-based sexual abuse”.
Reuters has also reported that its journalists, including a reporter in Britain, used Grok to create on-demand sexualised photos after the announcements by X.“It’s hard to believe that xAI and Elon Musk can’t work out how to prevent these images from being spewed out by Grok,” said Penny East, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society.“First, Musk decided the solution was to preserve nudification as a privilege only for those users who pay for X.Then he pledged to stop it entirely.And yet it has not stopped.
“The truth is Musk and the tech sector simply do not prioritise safety or dignity in the products they create.It’s a pretty low bar for women to expect that they can converse online without men undressing them.And yet seemingly even that is impossible.”While Downing Street had said it felt “vindicated” by the steps X had taken, there was also caution among ministers about the extent of the changes and how they would be delivered.On Thursday, Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, who had described the sexual manipulation of images of women and children as “despicable and abhorrent”, welcomed the move and thanked “those who have spoken out against this abuse, above all the victims”.
However, she added: “I will expect the facts to be fully and robustly established by Ofcom’s ongoing investigation.”Starmer also demanded X to act without delay.“Free speech is not the freedom to violate consent,” he said.“Young women’s images are not public property, and their safety is not up for debate.I welcome that X is now acting to ensure full compliance with UK law – it must happen immediately.
”Ofcom said its formal investigation into X, launched on Monday, remained ongoing and it was “working round the clock to progress this and get answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it”.Canada’s privacy watchdog said it was investigating xAI, while authorities in the Philippines said they were moving to block Grok, with Malaysian authorities planning to take legal action.But the controversy may have been helpful for boosting public awareness of Grok.On Thursday, Musk shared a post claiming “popularity and real world usage are skyrocketing globally” – alongside a graph of “Grok” as a search term hitting a new high on Google Trends.Musk simply added: “Try Grok.
com.”A government spokesperson said: “The Online Safety Act already requires platforms like X to prevent illegal content, including nonconsensual intimate images and child abuse material, from appearing on their services.“The secretary of state has said she expects X’s compliance with UK laws to be fully and robustly established by Ofcom’s investigation, which is already under way, and the government will not rest until social media companies meet their legal duties.“We are also taking further action through the proposed ‘nudification’ offence, which will target tools designed specifically to generate nonconsensual intimate images.”
Guardian’s Hope appeal raises more than £1m for charities opposing hatred
The Guardian has raised more than £1m in its Hope appeal to support grassroots charities whose work offers a positive antidote to social division, racism and hatred.The appeal, which closed on Thursday, had five partner charities that will share the donations: Citizens UK, the Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust and Who Is Your Neighbour?Katharine Viner, the Guardian’s editor in chief, said: “The theme of this year’s Guardian charity appeal was hope, supporting fantastic projects that foster community, tolerance and empathy.“Over the past year our reporting has captured the increased alarm most of us feel over the return of 1970s-style racist abuse, the demonisation of refugees and the resurgence of far-right marches in Britain’s streets.“I’m delighted that Guardian readers responded with such generosity, warmth and solidarity. Your donations will make a positive difference, sending a clear message about standing up to hate and bringing people together
NHS limiting ADHD assessments to save money despite soaring demand
The NHS is restricting people’s ability to be assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in order to save money but not telling GPs or patients, despite soaring demand for the service.More than half of the NHS’s 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have imposed limits on how many people can be assessed for ADHD during 2025-26, freedom of information responses show.Of the 22 ICBs who have imposed limits, 13 had not told GPs and 12 had not informed patients awaiting an ADHD assessment.The charity ADHD UK, which obtained the figures, said the NHS’s lack of communication showed it was trying to hide that “cruel” curbs on assessment were being widely used to help it cope with a squeeze on its budget.Henry Shelford, ADHD UK’s chief executive, said: “Waiting times for assessments are already horrendously long and it’s shocking to see how the NHS is further rationing people’s care to save money
NHS corridor care is ‘torture’ leading to patient deaths and staff nightmares
Corridor care is “a type of torture” that is leading to patients dying and causing NHS staff to have nightmares, the UK’s nurses union has warned.In one case, an elderly patient choked to death in a corridor, unseen by staff, according to a new dossier of evidence highlighting the problem published by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).Demand for care is so intense that hospitals are having to turn dining rooms, staff kitchens and rooms for viewing deceased people into overspill care areas, the RCN reveals.Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has pledged to end the use of corridor care in England by 2029, if not sooner. However, NHS staff groups are sceptical that he can fulfil that promise, given that many hospitals are overloaded so often, and not just during the winter
Maternal death rate in UK rose by 20% over 14 years despite Tory pledge
The rate of women dying during or soon after pregnancy in the UK has increased by 20% over the last decade, despite the Conservatives having pledged to halve it, according to figures experts have described as “an absolute tragedy”.In 2015, the then Tory health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, vowed to reduce maternal deaths by 50% by 2030 and make the NHS “one of the safest places in the world to have a baby”. In 2017, he brought the date forward to 2025.However, figures from MBRRACE-UK, a research project led by the University of Oxford, show the rate of women dying during the Conservatives’ 14 years in government went up, not down.Health leaders and campaigners said the 20% increase between 2009-11 and 2022-24 was shocking and showed something had clearly “gone badly wrong”
ADHD care needs better regulation and fewer pills | Letters
As a UK-trained consultant psychiatrist, fully indemnified, appraised and regulated by the General Medical Council, with specialist expertise in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, I read your article on rising ADHD care costs with concern and frustration (NHS ADHD spending over budget by £164m as unregulated clinics boom, 12 January).For the past eight months I have been navigating the opaque Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration process to provide high-quality, fully regulated ADHD assessments in an independent setting, alongside two similarly qualified colleagues. Until this process is complete, I am legally prohibited from seeing patients.It is therefore deeply troubling to learn from your article that multiple companies have been awarded NHS ADHD contracts despite not having CQC registration. In addition, some health professions fall outside the CQC remit and thus can set up a practice “diagnosing and treating” ADHD tomorrow – for example, a psychologist working with a prescribing pharmacist
Religious tradition, child safety and the law on circumcision | Letters
I would welcome criminalising circumcision if it was performed by an unqualified person – just as would be the case if someone unqualified conducted any other surgical operation (Circumcision classed as possible child abuse in draft CPS document, 10 January). But leaping from that to banning the practice altogether is not justified.Given that it is a longstanding and important tradition among Jews, Muslims and various other cultures, the best way forward is to only permit circumcision if it is practised by someone specifically qualified for it and who belongs to a nationally accredited scheme. This would involve compulsory training, monitoring all cases and producing annual reports.Such a step is vital if we value both the safety of children and the integrity of faith backgrounds, and should be implemented as soon as possible
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