The online network X has sparked widespread backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by removing their attire.
Multiple examples have been seen where the tool has been used to remove clothing from women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to inquiries, aside from an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping software. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional features—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to provide commentary or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for allowing users to create pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying images of individuals in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or share private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "necessary steps" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to delete it quickly when they become aware of it.
