The social media network X has provoked widespread backlash after users employed its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of females by stripping their attire.
Multiple instances have emerged where the technology has been used to digitally undress women to make them appear in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who provided such tools would "receive a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium features—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide commentary or more context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making graphic content of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "depicting images of individuals in a pornographic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images created with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to take down it swiftly when they become aware of it.
