The social media platform X has sparked significant backlash after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by taking off their garments.
Multiple examples have been seen where the tool has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' requests when they reference it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to provide commentary or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Rules
The system has been condemned for allowing users to produce photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "portraying images of people in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute private pictures or illegal content" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "suitable steps" to "minimize the risk" of users coming across unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
