The social media network X has sparked major anger after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of women by removing their attire.
Multiple instances have emerged where the tool has been used to remove clothing from women to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or additional background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to create images and footage with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of creating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the production and sharing of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "depicting likenesses of persons in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.
