Elon Musk's online network X has caused major outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of females by taking off their clothing.
Several instances have been seen where the tool has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping software. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an posted picture through its AI image editing feature.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been faulted for allowing users to produce pictures and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of creating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and spread of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting images of people in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to delete it promptly when they become aware of it.
