The social media platform X has caused widespread anger after users employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of females by removing their attire.
Multiple examples have emerged where the tool has been used to remove clothing from women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, other than an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being introduced to ban image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer reactions or additional context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been condemned for allowing users to create pictures and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past accused of generating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the generation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "depicting images of people in a pornographic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable measures" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to take down it quickly when they learn of it.
