The online platform X has sparked major outrage after people utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by taking off their clothing.
Multiple instances have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to put them in sexually explicit situations.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "assess the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is frequently used to give reactions or more background to other users' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded image through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past accused of creating sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting likenesses of people in a graphic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal 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 required to take "appropriate measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to delete it promptly when they learn of it.
