The online network X has caused major outrage after people utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by stripping their clothing.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to give reactions or additional background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to create images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier accused of making inappropriate content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "showing likenesses of persons in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images created with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
