The social media network X has caused significant backlash after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate photos of females by taking off their clothing.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the system has been used to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to place them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, aside from an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium features—which responds to X users' requests when they reference it in a post.
It is frequently used to give commentary or more context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for permitting users to generate images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously accused of generating graphic content of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and sharing of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the risk" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
