The online platform X has caused significant backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to change images of women by removing their clothing.
Numerous cases have surfaced where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, remained silent to questions, aside from an automatically-generated response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being brought forward to ban nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded image through its AI image editing tool.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been condemned for permitting users to generate photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate material of public figures.
"X has been allowing the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "showing images of people in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
