The online network X has caused widespread backlash after individuals used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of women by taking off their garments.
Multiple instances have been seen where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which responds to X users' prompts when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been criticised for permitting users to produce photos and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in generating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or share private pictures or illegal content" and stated this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "necessary measures" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal content on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.
