The social media platform X has sparked major outrage after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of women by removing their attire.
Multiple examples have emerged where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which responds to X users' requests 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 able to edit an uploaded image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for allowing users to generate images and footage with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the production and spread of these images for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their services and to delete it promptly when they become aware of it.
