The online network X has sparked major outrage after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of women by stripping their garments.
Several instances have emerged where the tool has been employed to digitally undress women to make them appear in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate contexts.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' requests when they tag it in a tweet.
It is often used to give commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for permitting users to create images and videos with nudity and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the production and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of persons in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share deepfakes or illegal content" and stated this applied to explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
