The online network X has caused major backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by taking off their clothing.
Numerous instances have emerged where the tool has been employed to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company behind Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to ban nudification technology. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or more background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an posted image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to create pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously accused of making inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the production and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting images of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
