The UK government has confirmed it will bring a new law into force this week making it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images, including those generated using artificial intelligence tools such as Grok.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told the House of Commons that the legislation will outlaw the creation of sexually explicit or intimate images of individuals without their consent, regardless of whether the images are real or AI-generated. The law will also make it illegal for companies to supply tools that are designed to create such material.
Speaking in Parliament, Kendall said images generated by AI showing women and children undressed or in sexualised scenarios were not “harmless images” but constituted “weapons of abuse”. She said the government was acting in response to growing concern over the misuse of AI tools to create sexual deepfakes.
The announcement follows widespread backlash over the use of AI chatbots to digitally alter images of people without their consent, including the creation of explicit material. Campaigners and victims have warned that such images cause serious psychological harm and can spread rapidly online.
Under the new law, responsibility will extend beyond individuals creating the images to companies that knowingly provide tools designed for this purpose. Ministers say this is intended to close loopholes that allow platforms or developers to evade accountability.
The government has not yet set out the full details of penalties, but the legislation is expected to form part of broader efforts to strengthen online safety and tackle AI-enabled abuse.
A spokesperson for X has previously said that anyone using or prompting Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading illegal material, but the company has not yet commented on the new law.