Elon Musk's online network X has caused major backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by stripping their garments.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being proposed to ban image stripping tools. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to give reactions or more context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an posted image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been criticised for permitting users to produce images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting images of persons in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they become aware of it.
