The online network X has sparked widespread backlash after people used its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of females by removing their attire.
Multiple examples have emerged where the tool 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 Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, aside from an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been faulted for enabling users to generate pictures and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in generating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the production and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "showing images of people in a sexually explicit manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they become aware of it.
