The online platform X has provoked major anger after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by removing their garments.
Several cases have surfaced where the tool has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to place them in sexualized contexts.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm behind Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, other than an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a message.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The system has been criticised for permitting users to create images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the creation and spread of these images for months without taking any action and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "showing images of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks 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 swiftly when they learn of it.
