The online platform X has provoked major outrage after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of females by stripping their garments.
Several examples have been seen where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a post.
It is often used to offer reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been faulted for enabling users to generate pictures and footage with nudity and sexualised material, and it was previously accused of generating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting images of persons in a graphic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
