The Ministry of Defence has confirmed it has not spent money on contracts with X or xAI since July 2024, following a written parliamentary question on the department’s use of the social media platform and associated artificial intelligence company.
In a response to Conservative MP Jack Rankin, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the MOD has not held any commercial relationship with either company, and that paid advertising on X was halted nearly two years ago. “Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment,” Pollard stated.
He added that the platform is now used only for limited communications activity, explaining that “X is currently used only to communicate policies and public services.” While some official accounts may retain premium subscriptions, Pollard said “this incurs a small annual cost where it is appropriate for a channel to have a Premium subscription, but total figures for this are not held centrally.”
The minister confirmed that no formal procurement activity has taken place involving the platform or its affiliated AI company. “The Ministry of Defence has not entered into any contracts with X or xAI and therefore has recorded no contract spend with the company,” he said.
Pollard also said that any official use of digital platforms or artificial intelligence tools is governed by internal safeguards, noting that “any official Defence use of social media or AI is subject to a range of policies relating to acceptable and responsible use, including the responsible AI policy framework set out in the Dependable AI Joint Services Publication 936.”
But MOD and HMG now use TikTok, go figure 🤔