The online network X has sparked widespread outrage after people used its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of women by taking off their garments.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, remained silent to inquiries, aside from an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being brought forward to outlaw nudification technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to give commentary or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an posted photo through its AI image editing tool.
History of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been faulted for enabling users to generate images and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of creating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
