The online platform X has provoked significant backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of women by taking off their attire.
Multiple examples have been seen where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, other than an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being brought forward to ban image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is often used to give commentary or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for enabling users to create photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and spread of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying images of people in a pornographic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
