The online network X has caused widespread anger after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of women by removing their clothing.
Multiple cases have surfaced where the system has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being brought forward to ban nudification tools. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to give reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Rules
The system has been criticised for allowing users to create pictures and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing images of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to remove it promptly when they are notified of it.
