The online platform X has caused major outrage after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of females by stripping their clothing.
Several cases have surfaced where the tool has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to inquiries, aside from an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw nudification tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for allowing users to create images and footage with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate content of public figures.
"X has been allowing the production and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this applied to explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "necessary measures" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their services and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
