{"title":"OFCOM — THE REGULATORS' AI UNIVERSE","built":"2026-11-01 08:14 UTC","last_checked":"2026-10-28","checked_range":["2026-10-28","2026-10-28"],"as_of":"2026-10-28","buckets":[{"key":"unit","label":"Units and teams","color":"#8E2433","count":0},{"key":"system","label":"AI systems in use","color":"#1F2F4F","count":1},{"key":"prog","label":"Programmes and funds","color":"#2F5A45","count":0},{"key":"skills","label":"Skills and training","color":"#6E5716","count":0},{"key":"infra","label":"Compute and data infrastructure","color":"#54476E","count":0},{"key":"gov","label":"Governance and assurance","color":"#3E4555","count":0},{"key":"part","label":"Partnerships","color":"#5C5240","count":1},{"key":"rule","label":"Rules and law","color":"#A3394B","count":1},{"key":"reg","label":"Regulator actions","color":"#3D5A80","count":9}],"divisions":[{"key":"department-wide","label":"Department-wide","count":5,"depts":[{"dept":"Department-wide","count":5}]},{"key":"online-safety-group","label":"Online Safety Group","count":4,"depts":[{"dept":"Online Safety Group","count":4}]},{"key":"enforcement","label":"Enforcement","count":2,"depts":[{"dept":"Enforcement","count":2}]},{"key":"technology-and-ai-specialists","label":"Technology and AI specialists","count":1,"depts":[{"dept":"Technology and AI specialists","count":1}]}],"colleges":[],"nodes":[{"id":"GOV-REG-051","name":"Ofcom's strategic approach to AI 2024/25","type":"Regulator actions","category":"Ofcom","affiliation":"Group page (sub-page per regulator)","status_group":"superseded","status":"superseded — 2025-06-06","function":"Ofcom's first published AI plan, in reply to the February 2024 Secretary of State letters: online safety codes and research on synthetic media detection and AI moderation; guidance to broadcasters on AI accountabilities; monitoring AI-enabled fraud and security risks in telecoms; DRCF work.","composition":"","parent":"DCMS","parent_research":"DCMS","relationships":"","notes":"","checked":"2026-10-28","website":[],"sources":["https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/281622/Ofcoms-strategic-approach-to-AI.pdf","https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-regulators-to-publish-an-update-on-their-strategic-approach-to-ai-secretary-of-state-letters"],"source_quotes":[{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/281622/Ofcoms-strategic-approach-to-AI.pdf","quotes":["Issue guidance as needed and appropriate to broadcasters to clarify their accountabilities in relation to AI."],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""},{"url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-regulators-to-publish-an-update-on-their-strategic-approach-to-ai-secretary-of-state-letters","quotes":["Office of Communications (Ofcom)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""}],"bucket":"reg","depts":[{"dept":"Department-wide","div":"department-wide"}],"colleges":[],"directorate":"Ofcom","previous_parent":"DSIT","parent_changed":"2026-07","head":null,"established":"2024-03-26","location":null,"money":null,"supplier_id_guess":null,"system":null,"rule":{"kind":"strategy","stage":"published","stage_date":"2024-03-26","sponsor":"Ofcom","applies_to":"online services, broadcasters, telecoms providers"},"topics":["online safety","regulation and standards"],"confidence":"verified","confidence_raw":"verified","one_source":false,"as_of":"2026-10-28","rec_table":[],"ext_links":[{"kind":"related","id":"GOV-REG-029","name":"Request for regulators to publish their strategic approach to AI (Secretary of State letters)","page":"regulators/ico","href":"../../regulators/ico/#org=GOV-REG-029","page_label":"ICO / Information Commission"}],"link_texts":[{"kind":"succeeded_by","target":"GOV-REG-052","ids":["GOV-REG-052"]},{"kind":"related","target":"GOV-REG-029","ids":["GOV-REG-029"]}],"div_label":"Department-wide","degree":1,"related_ids":["GOV-REG-052"]},{"id":"GOV-REG-052","name":"Ofcom's strategic approach to AI (2025/26)","type":"Regulator actions","category":"Ofcom","affiliation":"Group page (sub-page per regulator)","status_group":"superseded","status":"superseded — 2025-06-06","function":"Updated AI approach (published 6 June 2025): supporting innovation (SONIC Labs, spectrum datasets for AI training, DRCF), enforcing the Online Safety Act against illegal AI-created content, and expanding Ofcom's own AI use on a safety-first basis. 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Published 24 April 2025; risk assessments due 24 July 2025; codes in force 25 July 2025.","composition":"","parent":"Ofcom","parent_research":"Ofcom","relationships":"","notes":"","checked":"2026-10-28","website":[],"sources":["https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/statement-protecting-children-from-harms-online","https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/important-dates-for-online-safety-compliance"],"source_quotes":[{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/statement-protecting-children-from-harms-online","quotes":["Section 17: Recommender systems on U2U services.","from 25 July 2025"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""},{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/important-dates-for-online-safety-compliance","quotes":[],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/important-dates-for-online-safety-compliance — lists 24 Apr 2025 publication and 25 Jul 2025 in force (accessed 2026-10-28)"}],"bucket":"reg","depts":[{"dept":"Online Safety Group","div":"online-safety-group"}],"colleges":[],"directorate":"Online Safety Group","previous_parent":null,"parent_changed":null,"head":"Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive","established":"2025-04-24","location":null,"money":null,"supplier_id_guess":null,"system":null,"rule":{"kind":"standard","stage":"in force","stage_date":"2025-07-25","sponsor":"Ofcom","applies_to":"services likely to be accessed by children"},"topics":["online safety"],"confidence":"verified","confidence_raw":"verified","one_source":false,"as_of":"2026-10-28","rec_table":[],"ext_links":[],"link_texts":[{"kind":"related","target":"GOV-REG-063","ids":["GOV-REG-063"]},{"kind":"related","target":"GOV-REG-055","ids":["GOV-REG-055"]}],"div_label":"Online Safety Group","degree":2,"related_ids":["GOV-REG-055","GOV-REG-063"]},{"id":"GOV-REG-057","name":"Investigation into X Internet Unlimited Company (Grok-generated intimate imagery)","type":"Regulator actions","category":"Ofcom","affiliation":"Group page (sub-page per regulator)","status_group":"current","status":"current — 2026-01-12","function":"(append) Page re-opened 28 October 2026: still no dated update. The ICO opened its own data protection investigation into X Internet Unlimited Company and X.AI LLC over Grok on 3 February 2026 (GOV-REG-240), the same day as Ofcom's scope update (GOV-REG-058).","composition":"","parent":"Ofcom","parent_research":"Ofcom","relationships":"","notes":"Added or updated by Supplement 1 (edition 2.1).","checked":"2026-10-28","website":[],"sources":["https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-internet-unlimited-company-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content-and-child-users-from-harmful-content","https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-and-scope-of-the-online-safety-act","https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-internet-unlimited-company-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content-and-child-users-from-harmful-content"],"source_quotes":[{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-internet-unlimited-company-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content-and-child-users-from-harmful-content","quotes":["a Grok model on X is/was being used to generate and share content that may amount to intimate image abuse"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""},{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-and-scope-of-the-online-safety-act","quotes":["moved quickly to launch a formal investigation on 12 January"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""},{"url":"https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-x-internet-unlimited-company-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content-and-child-users-from-harmful-content","quotes":["We will provide an update on this investigation as soon as possible."],"accessed":"2026-10-28","secondary":false,"raw":""}],"bucket":"reg","depts":[{"dept":"Enforcement","div":"enforcement"}],"colleges":[],"directorate":"Enforcement","previous_parent":null,"parent_changed":null,"head":null,"established":"2026-01-12","location":null,"money":"maximum penalty: up to £18m or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (power, not a fine imposed)","supplier_id_guess":"biz-x ; biz-xai","system":null,"rule":{"kind":"enforcement","stage":"investigation open","stage_date":"2026-01-12","sponsor":"Ofcom","applies_to":"X Internet Unlimited Company (X)"},"topics":["online safety"],"confidence":"verified","confidence_raw":"verified","one_source":false,"as_of":"2026-10-28","rec_table":[],"ext_links":[{"kind":"related","id":"GOV-REG-240","name":"ICO investigation into X Internet Unlimited Company and X.AI LLC (Grok)","page":"regulators/ico","href":"../../regulators/ico/#org=GOV-REG-240","page_label":"ICO / Information Commission"}],"link_texts":[{"kind":"regulates","target":"X Internet Unlimited Company","ids":[]},{"kind":"related","target":"GOV-REG-058","ids":["GOV-REG-058"]},{"kind":"related","target":"GOV-REG-240","ids":["GOV-REG-240"]}],"div_label":"Enforcement","degree":1,"related_ids":["GOV-REG-058"]},{"id":"GOV-REG-058","name":"Ofcom update on the scope of the Online Safety Act for AI chatbots","type":"Regulator actions","category":"Ofcom","affiliation":"Group page (sub-page per regulator)","status_group":"current","status":"current — 2026-02-03","function":"Statement that chatbots which only interact with the user, do not search several websites and cannot generate pornography are outside the Act; images made by a chatbot without searching the internet are generally out of scope. Notes that the Government will look at how chatbots should be regulated. 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