The social media network X has caused widespread backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of women by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have been seen where the technology has been used to digitally undress female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the potential" of people accessing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which answers X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to produce images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the generation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," the expert 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 illegal content" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to delete it swiftly when they learn of it.
