The online platform X has provoked widespread outrage after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter photos of women by removing their garments.
Multiple instances have emerged where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to place them in inappropriate contexts.
Developer Response and Legal Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, except for an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which answers X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is often used to offer reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been criticised for enabling users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of creating sexually explicit material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the production and spread of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any action by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "depicting images of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to delete it promptly when they learn of it.
