The online platform X has sparked major outrage after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of females by stripping their garments.
Multiple examples have been seen where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping software. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of modify an uploaded photo through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to create photos and clips with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making graphic content of public figures.
"X has been allowing the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of people in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
