The online platform X has caused major outrage after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate images of females by taking off their attire.
Multiple examples have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit nudification technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional features—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted picture through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to produce images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously accused of creating inappropriate material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the production and spread of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "depicting images of individuals in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.
