The online platform X has caused widespread outrage after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of females by removing their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been used to virtually strip women to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to place them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being proposed to ban image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and significant penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people accessing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some premium functions—which answers X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer reactions or more background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded photo through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The system has been condemned for permitting users to create images and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of making graphic material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "showing likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or share deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images created with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.
