The online platform X has provoked major backlash after people utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of females by taking off their attire.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been used to remove clothing from women to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, except for an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to offer commentary or further context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an posted picture through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been faulted for permitting users to generate photos and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "showing images of persons in a graphic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or share private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "necessary actions" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
