The social media platform X has provoked major backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by stripping their attire.
Several examples have emerged where the system has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "face a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "assess the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to generate photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of generating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the production and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "suitable measures" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
