The online network X has provoked significant backlash after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of women by stripping their garments.
Several instances have been seen where the system has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in inappropriate situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to give reactions or more background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to produce images and footage with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of making graphic content of public figures.
"X has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "portraying images of persons in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "necessary steps" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to delete it promptly when they learn of it.
