The online network X has caused widespread outrage after users employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of females by taking off their attire.
Several cases have been seen where the system has been employed to remove clothing from women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being proposed to ban image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to give commentary or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an uploaded photo through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been faulted for enabling users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past accused of creating sexually explicit content of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and spread of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "depicting likenesses of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
