The online platform X has sparked major outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of females by taking off their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the technology has been used to digitally undress women to make them appear in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, other than an automatically-generated response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw nudification software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' queries when they reference it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been condemned for allowing users to create images and clips with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this included explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to take down it promptly when they are notified of it.
