Elon Musk's online platform X has caused major outrage after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by stripping their attire.
Multiple examples have emerged where the technology has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to place them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, aside from an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' requests when they tag it in a post.
It is often used to provide reactions or further context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been criticised for permitting users to create images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of making sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the production and sharing of these images for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or distribute private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
