The online platform X has sparked widespread anger after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by taking off their attire.
Multiple examples have been seen where the tool has been used to remove clothing from women to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to provide reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also can modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been faulted for enabling users to generate pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating graphic content of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the production and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying images of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
