The online platform X has caused significant outrage after people utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of women by stripping their garments.
Multiple instances have emerged where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the company behind Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, other than an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being introduced to ban image stripping technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional functions—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for permitting users to produce images and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate material of public figures.
"X has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying likenesses of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they are notified of it.
