An ally of Donald Trump has threatened to slap sanctions on Britain if Sir Keir Starmer takes action against the X social media site over AI-generated sexual images.
The Prime Minister has asked for ‘all options to be on the table’ as regulator Ofcom looks into X and xAI, the firm which created the Grok AI tool.
There has been a widespread outcry after Grok, which is available on X, was found to have been used to produce naked images of people, including children.
The tool was also reported to have been used to manipulate images of women to remove their clothes and put them in sexualised positions.
But Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, warned Sir Keir against any effort to ban X, formerly known as Twitter, in Britain.
She vowed to bring forward legislation to sanction both the PM and the UK as a whole if Sir Keir attempted to shut down the social media site owned by Elon Musk.
Ms Luna, who sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, claimed critics of X were launching a ‘political war’ against Mr Musk and ‘free speech’.
Grok has now stopped generating images for most of X users, with the AI tool limiting its image generation and editing features to only paying subscribers of the site.
The Prime Minister has asked for ‘all options to be on the table’ as regulator Ofcom looks into X and xAI, the firm which created the Grok AI tool
Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, warned Sir Keir Starmer against any effort to ban X, formerly known as Twitter, in Britain
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Should Britain risk US sanctions to crack down on AI-generated sexual images online?
A message sent by Grok on X to users requesting image editing says: ‘Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers.
‘You can subscribe to unlock these features.’
Sir Keir on Thursday called on X to ‘get their act together’ amid concerns about the AI creation of sexualised images of adults and children on the site.
‘This is disgraceful. It’s disgusting. And it’s not to be tolerated,’ the PM told Greatest Hits Radio.
‘X has got to get a grip of this. Ofcom has our full support to take action in relation to this. This is wrong.
‘It’s unlawful. We’re not going to tolerate it. I’ve asked for all options to be on the table.
‘It’s disgusting. X need to get their act together and get this material down. We will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.’
Ms Luna later responded to suggestions that X could be banned in Britain under powers within the Online Safety Act.
She posted on X: ‘If Starmer is successful in banning X in Britain, I will move forward with legislation that is currently being drafted to sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole.
‘This would mirror actions previously taken by the United States in response to foreign governments restricting the platform, including the dispute with Brazil in 2024-2025, which resulted in tariffs, visa revocations, and sanctions and consequences tied to free speech concerns against Brazilian officials over concerns related to censorship and free-speech violations.
‘Starmer should reconsider this course of action, or there will be consequences.
‘There are always technical bugs during the early phases of new technology, especially AI, and those issues are typically addressed quickly.
‘X treats these matters seriously and acts promptly. Let’s be clear: this is not about technical compliance.
‘This is a political war against @elonmusk and free speech – nothing more.’
