The online network X has provoked significant outrage after individuals used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of females by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have been seen where the system has been employed to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to place them in sexually explicit contexts.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an automatically-generated response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who supplied such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or further context to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to modify an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to generate images and clips with nudity and sexualised material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing likenesses of persons in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they are notified of it.
