The UK government has reportedly talked with Canada and Australia about possible coordinated action against X, according to a GB News report that cited unnamed sources.
The discussions were said to centre on concerns about harmful AI-generated content created using X’s Grok tool. In recent weeks, users have been sharing memes and prompts telling the chatbot to “put that person into a bikini” and similar requests, raising concerns about non-consensual and sexually manipulated images.
GB News said the talks took place under UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with British officials linking the issue directly to Grok’s image-generation features. UK officials have described this type of content as illegal and unacceptable.
Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, the government has the authority to block platforms that fail to deal with harmful material. According to the report, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall backed tough enforcement by regulator Ofcom, including the possibility of blocking X entirely if the image tool was not removed.
Australia was also reported to share similar concerns. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly called the Grok tool “completely abhorrent” and accused social media companies of lacking basic social responsibility.
Ottawa, however, moved quickly to shut down the idea that it was considering a ban. Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, weighed in late Saturday night, just after midnight Eastern time, to dismiss the reports.
“Contrary to media reports, Canada is not considering a ban of X,” Solomon wrote. The former CBC journalist’s statement poured cold water on the rumours in an unusually direct response.
Rather than blocking the platform, Canada has said it is looking at other options to address AI-generated abuse, including possible changes to domestic laws around deepfakes and potential RCMP investigations.
The reports also sparked political backlash. Some U.S. politicians, including Republican Anna Pauline Luna, warned there could be consequences if X were blocked. A ban on X could complicate broader Canada-U.S. relations, which remain strained after trade talks were suspended in October.
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Flood the Internet with Republican Anna Pauline Luna in bikini. Lol
There is no need to block anything. Lets try to teach our children right and wrong. Then, they will have the power to know what to use and what not to use. Governments are consistently showing they are the problem.
Bikinis aren’t sexual. The UK stance on this is ridiculous and should focus instead on individual accountability, not the platform.
In other words, the problem is what people are CHOOSING to do, not the ability for them to do so.
There are many circumstances where users do have consent for such prompts and as such, they should not be prevented from doing so.