The online platform X has caused significant outrage after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate pictures of women by taking off their clothing.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the system has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit contexts.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being introduced to ban image stripping technology. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a prison sentence and significant fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "assess the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some premium features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to give reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been condemned for enabling users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.
