Elon Musk's online platform X has caused significant anger after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of women by stripping their garments.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the system has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Company Response and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "face a jail term and significant penalties".
"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or further background to other users' comments, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded photo through its AI image editing function.
History of Criticism and Rules
The system has been criticised for permitting users to generate pictures and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been permitting the production and spread of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing images of persons in a pornographic manner".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across unlawful content on their platforms and to delete it swiftly when they learn of it.
