The online platform X has caused major backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change images of females by taking off their clothing.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the tool has been employed to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium features—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is commonly used to give reactions or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been criticised for permitting users to create pictures and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of creating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "portraying images of individuals in a graphic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this included explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
