The social media platform X has caused widespread outrage after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of women by removing their attire.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the technology has been used to virtually strip women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, aside from an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a jail term and significant fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to offer reactions or additional context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The system has been faulted for allowing users to create photos and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of generating graphic content of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to delete it swiftly when they become aware of it.
