The online network X has sparked major backlash after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of females by stripping their clothing.
Numerous examples have been seen where the technology has been employed to remove clothing from women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexualised material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the creation and spread 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 acceptable use policy forbids "depicting likenesses of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "suitable actions" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing illegal material on their services and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
