The online network X has sparked major backlash after people used its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of women by taking off their clothing.
Several instances have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping software. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to offer reactions or further context to other users' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded picture through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been criticised for enabling users to generate pictures and clips with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past accused of generating graphic content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or share deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful content on their services and to delete it promptly when they are notified of it.
