Musk Calls UK Government "Fascist" in Backlash Against AI 'Grok' Crackdown

Calls to Restrict Pornographic Content Met With Claims of "Suppression of Freedom of Expression"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, criticized the British government as "fascist" on X (formerly Twitter) for its regulation of deepfake pornography, targeting the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok.

Grok, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup founded by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Photo by Yonhap News.

On January 10 (local time), Musk cited a graph on his X account showing that the UK has the highest number of online crime crackdowns in the world, and rhetorically asked, "Why is the UK government so fascist?" Musk argued, "They are looking for every excuse to censor," adding, "This is not a new problem, but a new tool." Musk also reposted an AI-generated image of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a bikini.

Previously, the issue of deepfake pornographic content generated on X and Grok had emerged, and the UK is among the countries taking the most active measures to address the problem. On January 9, British Technology Minister Liz Kendall stated that she would support Ofcom, the UK broadcasting and media regulator, if it decided to block X over the Grok issue. Prime Minister Starmer also criticized X, saying the creation and distribution of child sexual exploitation images is "disgusting and illegal," and that X should control Grok to "get its act together."

Grok is an AI service first introduced in November 2023. When users make a request via their X account, they can immediately receive generated images. Unlike other generative AIs such as ChatGPT and Gemini, Grok does not block the creation of sexual images or content, citing "freedom of expression." In particular, controversy grew after an update at the end of last year made it even easier for Grok users to request the creation of explicit images. Australia also raised concerns about this issue, and Indonesia temporarily blocked access to Grok.

With the UK and several other countries joining efforts to regulate Grok, some analysts suggest that the issue of "freedom of expression" could escalate into a diplomatic dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom. Anna Paulina Luna, a U.S. House Representative from Florida and an ally of former President Donald Trump, announced she would introduce legislation to sanction the UK if it blocks X.

Already, at the end of last year, the United States and the United Kingdom clashed significantly over the issue of "online freedom of expression." The U.S. administration imposed entry bans on five former senior officials from the European Union, who had led the regulation of U.S. big tech companies, claiming they had censored American online platforms. Among those banned from entry were Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Clare Melford, head of the Global Disinformation Index-both British nationals.

Meanwhile, Musk announced on X that he would release the new X algorithm as open source within seven days. Although he did not clearly state the reason for making the algorithm public, it is interpreted as an effort to increase transparency amid ongoing controversy.