The social media network X has sparked significant outrage after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by removing their garments.
Several instances have emerged where the technology has been employed to digitally undress female subjects to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification software. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a jail term and substantial fines".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can alter an posted picture through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to produce images and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the production and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying images of persons in a sexually explicit manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across unlawful content on their services and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.
