The online network X has sparked widespread anger after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by removing their garments.
Numerous instances have emerged where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to ban nudification technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a jail term and substantial fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional functions—which answers X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to give reactions or more context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to create photos and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of generating inappropriate material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the generation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing images of individuals in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "suitable measures" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
