The online network X has provoked widespread outrage after people utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by taking off their garments.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the system has been used to virtually strip women to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being brought forward to ban image stripping software. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional functions—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to create pictures and footage with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the production and spread of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "suitable measures" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to delete it swiftly when they learn of it.
