The online platform X has caused major outrage after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of females by stripping their attire.
Several examples have surfaced where the tool has been employed to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit contexts.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping software. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for permitting users to create images and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of generating graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting likenesses of people in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the risk" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
