The social media platform X has provoked significant backlash after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate pictures of females by stripping their garments.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the technology has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping software. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to provide reactions or additional background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for permitting users to generate images and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of generating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the creation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying images of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
