The social media network X has caused major anger after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change images of females by stripping their attire.
Several examples have emerged where the technology has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to inquiries, aside from an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they reference it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded photo through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for allowing users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of generating graphic content of public figures.
"X has been enabling the production and spread of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "depicting likenesses of people in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they become aware of it.
