Elon Musk's online network X has provoked major backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by removing their garments.
Numerous instances have been seen where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexually explicit contexts.
Developer Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a prison sentence and significant fines".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which reacts to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is often used to provide commentary or further background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can modify an posted picture through its AI image editing function.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for permitting users to produce photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of creating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the production and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting likenesses of persons in a graphic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to remove it quickly when they learn of it.
