The online network X has sparked widespread anger after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to change images of women by stripping their attire.
Numerous cases have been seen where the system has been used to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
