The online platform X has sparked widespread backlash after people used its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of females by removing their clothing.
Multiple examples have been seen where the system has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to place them in sexualized contexts.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being brought forward to ban image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to offer reactions or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded image through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for allowing users to generate pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of making inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the production and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "portraying likenesses of individuals in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to delete it promptly when they are notified of it.
