The online network X has caused major backlash after individuals used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of women by removing their clothing.
Several instances have surfaced where the tool has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to show them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, except for an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to ban image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a jail term and substantial penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for permitting users to create pictures and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been allowing the generation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "showing likenesses of persons in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
