The online network X has provoked widespread outrage after people utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of women by removing their clothing.
Numerous instances have emerged where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit nudification software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a jail term and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the potential" of people seeing unlawful material 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 no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' requests when they tag it in a message.
It is often used to provide reactions or more background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been faulted for enabling users to produce images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any action and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate steps" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
