🔗 Share this article

The online network X has sparked widespread backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of females by removing their garments.

Numerous instances have been seen where the technology has been employed to virtually strip women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.

Company Response and Regulatory Stance

XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, other than an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to ban nudification tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".

"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Regulator Position and Tool Functionality

The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the potential" of people viewing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.

Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' queries when they reference it in a post.

It is frequently used to give commentary or further background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.

History of Controversy and Policy

The chatbot has been criticised for enabling users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of generating sexually explicit material of public figures.

"The platform has been allowing the production and spread of these images for months without taking any action and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own terms of service forbids "showing likenesses of persons in a graphic way".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.

It said networks such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.