The online network X has provoked widespread anger after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by taking off their attire.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been employed to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, other than an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the potential" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium features—which answers X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to give commentary or additional background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to create images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "showing images of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
