The social media platform X has caused significant outrage after users used its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of females by stripping their attire.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to questions, other than an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being introduced to ban nudification software. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing unlawful material on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional features—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is commonly used to give commentary or further background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to produce pictures and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any action by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "portraying likenesses of people in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or share deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across unlawful material on their services and to delete it quickly when they are notified of it.
