The social media network X has sparked major outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of women by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the technology has been used to digitally undress female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to ban nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive 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 "seem to have impunity."
Regulator Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' requests when they reference it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded photo through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been faulted for allowing users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier accused of making inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the production and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting likenesses of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering unlawful content on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
