Elon Musk's online platform X has provoked major backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to change photos of females by stripping their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear without consent, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such tools would "be subject to a jail term and heavy fines".
"X or Grok could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was at this time looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they reference it in a tweet.
It is often used to provide reactions or more background to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of modify an posted image through its AI image editing function.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for permitting users to create images and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating graphic material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the creation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying images of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "minimize the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to remove it promptly when they become aware of it.
