The online network X has sparked major backlash after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of women by taking off their clothing.
Numerous cases have emerged where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' requests when they tag it in a message.
It is commonly used to give reactions or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted picture through its AI image editing feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to create images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of generating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the generation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and stated this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering unlawful content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.
