The online network X has sparked major outrage after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change photos of females by taking off their attire.
Numerous cases have emerged where the technology has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexualized situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or additional background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to generate images and footage with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of generating sexually explicit content of public figures.
"The platform has been permitting the production and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting likenesses of persons in a pornographic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "necessary actions" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to delete it quickly when they learn of it.
