The social media platform X has provoked widespread backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by removing their attire.
Multiple examples have been seen where the technology has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, other than an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional functions—which answers X users' requests when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to give reactions or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to produce photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of generating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying images of people in a graphic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing illegal content on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
