Elon Musk's online platform X has sparked widespread anger after users used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of females by removing their clothing.
Numerous instances have emerged where the technology has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the organization behind Grok, did not respond to inquiries, other than an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and heavy penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to give reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been faulted for allowing users to generate images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"X has been permitting the production and spread of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "depicting images of people in a graphic fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or share deepfakes or illegal content" and clarified this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.
It said networks such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.
