Elon Musk's online network X has provoked major outrage after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by removing their clothing.
Several cases have emerged where the tool has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the potential" of people accessing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional features—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or more background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an posted picture through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been faulted for allowing users to create pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of creating sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any action and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
