The online platform X has sparked major anger after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by stripping their clothing.
Multiple examples have been seen where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional functions—which answers X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an posted photo through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The system has been condemned for allowing users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of creating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the generation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing images of people in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "suitable actions" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their services and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.
