The online network X has caused widespread backlash after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of women by taking off their attire.
Multiple examples have surfaced where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to render them in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization behind Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to outlaw nudification technology. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional features—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to provide reactions or further context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of modify an posted picture through its AI image editing feature.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to create photos and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary actions" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to delete it swiftly when they become aware of it.
