The online platform X has provoked major anger after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by taking off their garments.
Several examples have been seen where the system has been employed to remove clothing from women to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification technology. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a prison sentence and significant fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' queries when they tag it in a post.
It is often used to offer reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been faulted for enabling users to produce pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of making graphic content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying likenesses of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.
