The online network X has caused widespread backlash after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate images of females by taking off their clothing.
Several examples have emerged where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a jail term and substantial fines".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' requests when they tag it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or further background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted photo through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been criticised for permitting users to generate pictures and clips with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was previously accused of making sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "showing likenesses of individuals in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their services and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
