The social media network X has provoked major outrage after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to change images of females by stripping their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been used to virtually strip female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of edit an posted picture through its AI image editing feature.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been criticised for permitting users to generate pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit content of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the generation and sharing of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "necessary measures" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing illegal material on their services and to delete it promptly when they learn of it.
