Elon Musk's online platform X has caused significant outrage after individuals employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of women by stripping their attire.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the technology has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, other than an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a tweet.
It is commonly used to provide reactions or additional context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted picture through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to create pictures and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and distribution of these images for months without taking any action and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "showing likenesses of people in a pornographic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "appropriate steps" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
