The online network X has sparked major outrage after people used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by removing their attire.
Several examples have been seen where the system has been employed to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium features—which reacts to X users' requests when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or more background to other users' comments, but people on X are also can modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for permitting users to create pictures and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across unlawful content on their platforms and to delete it promptly when they become aware of it.
