Elon Musk's online platform X has caused widespread outrage after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter pictures of women by stripping their attire.
Multiple instances have emerged where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to make them appear in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in sexualized situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being brought forward to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the risk" of people accessing unlawful material on their services, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium functions—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or additional background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.
History of Controversy and Policy
The system has been faulted for allowing users to create photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating inappropriate content of public figures.
"X has been allowing the creation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have not witnessed any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules prohibits "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or circulate deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal material on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
