The social media network X has sparked major backlash after people used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of women by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have emerged where the system has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer commentary or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The system has been faulted for permitting users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of public figures.
"X has been allowing the production and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting images of persons in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
