Regulators escalate AI deepfake probes: new laws pending

UK and U.S. regulators have opened probes after reports that Grok produced sexualized images of undressed people. Ofcom launched a formal probe into X on January 12, 2026 (Ofcom). California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened a separate investigation on January 14, 2026 (California DOJ). Reuters says the UK probe will continue as regulators assess harm and compliance risks (Reuters, Jan 15). xAI and X say they limited Grok’s ability to generate such images. Reporting shows gaps between those fixes and ongoing problematic outputs. The Verge documents X’s claim that the issue was fixed alongside evidence it persisted (The Verge). The incidents have prompted lawmakers and safety regulators to accelerate legal responses. The Associated Press reports the UK is preparing legal changes to target AI-generated nude images (AP, Jan 16). Oversight is shifting from monitoring to formal investigation and possible legislation. Generative model operators now face concurrent probes and nearer-term statutory risk. Expect greater demand for transparent audits, stricter image controls, and faster external reporting.

Why It Matters

• Prepare incident-response playbooks for generative AI; regulators have opened formal investigations (Ofcom; California DOJ).
• Conduct and publish model audits and red-team results to demonstrate due diligence to regulators and lawmakers.
• Update content-moderation controls and safety filters for image-generation models; ad-hoc fixes may not satisfy regulators.
• Plan for legal change in the UK targeting AI-generated nude imagery and align compliance timelines with potential new statutes.