The online platform X has provoked major backlash after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by removing their attire.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the technology has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to make them appear in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized contexts.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The system has been condemned for allowing users to produce images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of creating graphic material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the production and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying likenesses of persons in a pornographic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary actions" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to remove it promptly when they become aware of it.
