The online platform X has caused significant outrage after users used its AI chatbot Grok to change images of women by removing their attire.
Numerous cases have surfaced where the tool has been employed to digitally undress women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to put them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being brought forward to ban nudification technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional functions—which answers X users' prompts when they tag it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to produce pictures and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "portraying likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
