Elon Musk's online network X has caused major outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of women by stripping their garments.
Several instances have emerged where the system has been employed to remove clothing from women to make them appear in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, aside from an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to ban image stripping technology. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and substantial fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the potential" of people accessing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been criticised for allowing users to create photos and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of making inappropriate material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing images of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
