The social media network X has sparked widespread anger after people utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate pictures of women by removing their attire.
Several examples have surfaced where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to make them appear in swimwear without consent, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to inquiries, other than an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of edit an posted photo through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for permitting users to produce photos and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate content of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying images of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
