The social media platform X has provoked widespread outrage after individuals used its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by stripping their attire.
Numerous examples have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, remained silent to questions, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a prison sentence and significant fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a post.
It is often used to give commentary or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for permitting users to create photos and footage with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in making sexually explicit content of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "showing images of persons in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or share private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they become aware of it.
