The online network X has provoked major backlash after people used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of females by stripping their garments.
Numerous examples have emerged where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to inquiries, other than an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been faulted for enabling users to generate pictures and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and sharing of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the risk" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
