The online platform X has provoked significant outrage after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by removing their clothing.
Several cases have emerged where the system has been used to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate contexts.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, aside from an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to provide reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded image through its AI image editing feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The system has been criticised for permitting users to produce photos and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of individuals in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to take down it promptly when they are notified of it.
