The online network X has provoked widespread backlash after individuals used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change photos of females by stripping their attire.
Multiple cases have surfaced where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to put them in sexualized situations.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to give commentary or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been criticised for permitting users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously accused of making graphic content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
