The online network X has caused major backlash after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of women by removing their attire.
Numerous cases have been seen where the system has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond 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 tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the potential" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is often used to offer commentary or further background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been criticised for enabling users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexualised material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating graphic content of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the production and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying likenesses of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they learn of it.
