The online network X has sparked significant outrage after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by stripping their garments.
Multiple cases have emerged where the system has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit contexts.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being proposed to ban image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to give reactions or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The system has been faulted for permitting users to generate pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of creating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to delete it quickly when they learn of it.
