The online network X has provoked significant backlash after individuals employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by removing their clothing.
Multiple instances have emerged where the tool has been used to digitally undress female subjects to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification software. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
History of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to create images and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the creation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "showing images of people in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "necessary actions" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
