The social media platform X has caused significant outrage after people used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of women by removing their garments.
Several instances have surfaced where the system has been used to remove clothing from women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, aside from an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to give reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted image through its AI image editing function.
History of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying images of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
