The social media platform X has provoked widespread backlash after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by removing their attire.
Numerous instances have emerged where the technology has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply 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 supplied such tools would "face a jail term and substantial fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to generate images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of generating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "showing likenesses of persons in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the risk" of users coming across illegal content on their services and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
