How AI-generated sexual images cause real harm, even though we know they are “fake.”

Many women experienced severe suffering when Grok, the AI ​​chatbot on the social media site. Grok, like other AI tools, was reportedly used to generate child sexual abuse material.

In response, the UK government has announced that it will bring forward the implementation of a law passed in June 2025 that bans the creation of non-consensual, AI-generated intimate images. Following bans in Malaysia and Indonesia, Grok has now been updated to no longer produce sexualized images of real people in places where it is illegal, including the UK.

Read more: What can technology do to stop sexualized images generated by AI?

X owner Elon Musk has claimed the UK government wants “any excuse for censorship”. Media regulator Ofcom is also conducting an investigation to determine whether X’s activities breached UK law.

Some X…