The online network X has caused major outrage after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by stripping their garments.
Multiple instances have emerged where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to inquiries, except for an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "face a jail term and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they chose 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 "evaluate the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they tag it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to generate pictures and clips with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "necessary actions" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to remove it promptly when they become aware of it.
