The online platform X has caused widespread backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of women by removing their clothing.
Several examples have been seen where the technology has been used to remove clothing from women to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the firm behind Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw nudification technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and significant fines".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium features—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a post.
It is commonly used to offer commentary or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been criticised for allowing users to create images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of creating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "showing likenesses of people in a sexually explicit manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or circulate private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "minimize the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
