The online network X has sparked major outrage after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by stripping their garments.
Several instances have emerged where the system has been employed to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for features—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded photo through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for enabling users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of generating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the creation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "showing images of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
