Jamie’s comments have been reproduced with kind permission below.
The Daily Mail:
Jamie Hurworth, Online Safety Act expert and dispute resolution lawyer for the firm Payne Hicks Beach, says: ‘The use of generative AI to create child sexual abuse material should not be a legal grey area. It is sexual exploitation, regardless of whether the images are “synthetic”.
‘What this news shows is the scale at which AI can turbo–charge harm if effective safeguards are not built in and enforced.’
Click here to read more: Paedophiles used AI to generate 3,440 child abuse videos in 2025, shocking report reveals – as experts call for immediate action to ban the ‘frightening’ technology | Daily Mail Online
IT Brief:
Ofcom, which gained new oversight powers through the Online Safety Act, has begun examining whether X has appropriate systems and processes in place to address the use of Grok for non-consensual sexual imagery and other potential harms. The investigation is expected to focus on how the platform assesses risk, moderates AI-generated content and responds to user reports.
The Grok tool, which X has positioned as part of its broader AI development, has been criticised after reports that users could generate sexually explicit deepfakes of real individuals. Legal and online safety specialists say the case is likely to become one of the first high-profile tests of Ofcom’s enforcement approach under the new regime.
“Ofcom’s announcement of an investigation into X is a welcome step. It is a real opportunity for Ofcom to show that it has teeth under the Online Safety regime and that social media platforms cannot hide when serious harms are alleged.
“Attempts to dress up Grok’s publication of non-consensual sexual images as ‘freedom of speech’ are deeply misplaced. Free speech is not absolute and should not be used to defend sexual exploitation.The spotlight is now on Ofcom to demonstrate action in real terms,” said Jamie Hurworth, Dispute Resolution Senior Associate and Online Safety Act expert, Payne Hicks Beach.
Click here to read more: Ofcom probes X over Grok deepfake sexual imagery risk
For further information, please contact Jamie Hurworth. Alternatively, telephone on 020 7465 4300
