BRITAIN’s media watchdog has decided to step in after Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok produced a flood of sexual content manipulating images of women and children.

Ofcom launched a formal investigation under the Online Safety Act (OSA) today, looking into the AI application, which is integrated into Mr Musk’s social media platform X.

Top government officials reacted with outrage, calling for the US tech firm, which has allowed users to create these explicit pictures, to be “dealt with.”

As a result, several sorts of punishments could be issued against X, including a possible Britain-wide ban if violations are deemed important enough.

Ofcom had made “urgent contact” with X last week, asking it to outline what steps it would take to protect British users, setting a deadline for a response which was met by the platform.

The decision to launch the probe came after the regulator reviewed available evidence “as a matter of urgency.”

“Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning,” Ofcom said today.

“Platforms must protect people in Britain from content that’s illegal in Britain, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.

“We’ll progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority, while ensuring we follow due process.”

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Ofcom must complete its probe “swiftly” because “the public and most importantly the victims — will not accept any delay.”

“I welcome Ofcom’s urgency in launching a formal investigation today,” she said.

“The content created and shared using Grok in recent days has been deeply disturbing and I will be updating Parliament later today on the government’s response.”

Several other leading British politicians recently came out asking for action to be taken on Grok before the investigation was announced.

Among them was business secretary Peter Kyle, who stopped short of asking for Ofcom intervention.

He said: “Some of the things I have seen and heard about are disgusting and clearly unlawful and I expect that to be dealt with.”

Downing Street suggested the government was open to leaving X if the platform did not act on concerns about its AI chatbot, saying “all options are on the table.”