The online network X has provoked significant anger after people utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of females by removing their attire.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a jail term and significant penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was presently examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium features—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to create images and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying images of people in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this included explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
