The online network X has sparked major outrage after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of females by taking off their attire.
Several instances have been seen where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to show them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to ban image stripping technology. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is often used to give reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously accused of generating sexually explicit content of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the generation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have not seen any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting likenesses of people in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.
