The social media network X has sparked widespread outrage after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of women by taking off their clothing.
Numerous cases have emerged where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, aside from an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some premium functions—which answers X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to offer commentary or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an posted picture through its AI image editing tool.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to generate photos and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of people in a sexually explicit way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they are notified of it.
