Elon Musk's social media platform X has caused significant anger after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of women by removing their clothing.
Numerous instances have emerged where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to place them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being proposed to ban image stripping software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a post.
It is commonly used to give reactions or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for permitting users to produce pictures and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and spread of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying likenesses of people in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate steps" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they learn of it.
