The online network X has provoked significant outrage after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of women by stripping their clothing.
Numerous examples have been seen where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some premium features—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or additional context to other users' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for permitting users to generate pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating graphic content of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have yet to see any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "portraying images of people in a graphic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or illegal content" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
