The online network X has sparked widespread anger after individuals employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by stripping their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been used to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the potential" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional features—which answers X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making graphic material of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the production and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "depicting images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images created with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering illegal content on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
