The social media network X has caused significant anger after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of females by taking off their attire.
Numerous cases have emerged where the system has been used to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in sexualized contexts.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to provide commentary or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded image through its AI image editing tool.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for permitting users to generate photos and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of creating inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and spread of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing images of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across unlawful content on their services and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
