The UK government on Monday said providers of AI chatbots will be held responsible for preventing their technology from generating illegal or harmful content.

The move follows international backlash against Grok, after the chatbot was found to allow users to create and share sexualized fake images of women and children.

What is the planned change concerning AI bots?

The government plans to expand rules that currently apply only to content shared between users on social media platforms.

"The new measures announced today include a crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ahead of a speech on the topic.

"The government will move fast to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law," he said.

Starmer's center-left Labour government is also increasing efforts to protect children online and has launched a consultation on banning social media for people under 16.

How does the law stand at present?

The Online Safety Act, which entered force in July, requires platforms hosting potentially harmful content to implement strict age verification, such as facial imagery checks or credit card confirmation. The creation or distribution of non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material produced with AI is also illegal.

However, UK media regulator Ofcom has noted that not all AI chatbots fall under the law, including those that "only allow people to interact with the chatbot itself and no other users."

"Technology moves on so quickly that the legislation struggles to keep up, which is why, for AI bots... we need to take the necessary measures," Starmer said.

Ofcom opened a probe in January into X, which hosts Grok, for allegedly failing to meet safety obligations. The European Commission is also examining whether the chatbot is spreading illegal content within the bloc.

X has since announced new restrictions designed to prevent the creation of explicit images of real people.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse