Elon Musk's online platform X has caused widespread outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by removing their clothing.
Several examples have surfaced where the system has been used to digitally undress female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a jail term and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer reactions or further context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded photo through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Policy
The system has been condemned for allowing users to create photos and footage with nudity and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of generating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the creation and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it promptly when they learn of it.
