The online platform X has provoked widespread outrage after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of women by stripping their attire.
Several examples have surfaced where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, except for an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being brought forward to ban image stripping tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional features—which answers X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to provide commentary or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of creating graphic content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the generation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they become aware of it.
