The social media network X has sparked major backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of women by taking off their garments.
Multiple examples have emerged where the tool has been employed to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a tweet.
It is often used to provide reactions or additional background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded image through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been criticised for enabling users to generate pictures and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of creating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"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 acceptable use policy prohibits "showing images of people in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they learn of it.
