The social media network X has provoked significant outrage after individuals used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of women by removing their attire.
Several examples have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is often used to provide commentary or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded picture through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for permitting users to generate photos and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier accused of creating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.
