The online network X has caused significant anger after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by stripping their attire.
Numerous cases have surfaced where the system has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to show them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to questions, aside from an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to ban nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform 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 at this time investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a message.
It is commonly used to give commentary or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded photo through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and spread of these images for months without taking any action and we have not seen any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "necessary actions" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
