The online network X has caused significant anger after users used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of females by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have been seen where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, offered no comment to questions, except for an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "assess the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was currently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they reference it in a message.
It is frequently used to give commentary or more background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been criticised for allowing users to produce photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the production and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "depicting likenesses of people in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this covered explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their services and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
