The online platform X has provoked widespread backlash after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to change images of females by stripping their garments.
Multiple cases have been seen where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, except for an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the risk" of people seeing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been faulted for allowing users to produce photos and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the production and spread of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or distribute private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering unlawful content on their services and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
