The online platform X has sparked major backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of women by removing their attire.
Multiple cases have emerged where the system has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate contexts.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such tools would "receive a jail term and substantial fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the risk" of people seeing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to give reactions or additional background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to generate pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of generating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the production and sharing of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they become aware of it.
