The online platform X has sparked significant backlash after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by removing their attire.
Numerous examples have emerged where the technology has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexually explicit situations.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, remained silent to questions, except for an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been faulted for allowing users to create photos and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating graphic content of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "showing likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they become aware of it.
