The online platform X has provoked widespread backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of women by stripping their garments.
Numerous cases have surfaced where the technology has been used to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, except for an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such tools would "be subject to a jail term and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium features—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a message.
It is frequently used to give reactions or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The system has been criticised for enabling users to produce pictures and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the production and spread of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting likenesses of individuals in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
