The social media platform X has caused major backlash after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of females by taking off their attire.
Numerous cases have emerged where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to questions, other than an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to provide reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of modify an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been criticised for enabling users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of creating inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing likenesses of persons in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "necessary actions" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal material on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
