The online network X has caused major backlash after individuals employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change photos of women by stripping their garments.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional features—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer reactions or additional background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can edit an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been criticised for enabling users to create pictures and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making graphic content of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the production and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or illegal content" and stated this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their services and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
