The online network X has caused major backlash after people used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by removing their attire.
Several examples have been seen where the technology has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in sexually explicit situations.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit nudification technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "receive a jail term and substantial penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "assess the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional features—which answers X users' queries when they tag it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide commentary or more context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for permitting users to generate images and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of generating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the generation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying likenesses of people in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they become aware of it.
