The online platform X has provoked significant anger after people used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate images of females by taking off their attire.
Several instances have surfaced where the technology has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to questions, other than an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a jail term and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to give reactions or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to create pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was in the past accused of making inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing likenesses of people in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they learn of it.
