The online platform X has provoked major anger after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of women by stripping their attire.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the organization responsible for 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 legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "face a jail term and significant penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium features—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a message.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or more context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded photo through its AI image editing function.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to generate images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of creating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "portraying images of individuals in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the risk" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.
