The online network X has provoked widespread outrage after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by stripping their clothing.
Several cases have emerged where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized situations.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a post.
It is often used to give commentary or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded image through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for allowing users to create pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate content of public figures.
"X has been enabling the creation and sharing of these images for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
