The online network X has provoked widespread anger after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of females by stripping their attire.
Numerous cases have emerged where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized situations.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, aside from an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "face a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional features—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is commonly used to give commentary or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded picture through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to generate images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "portraying images of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or share deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "necessary steps" to "reduce the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.
