🔗 Share this article

The online network X has caused significant outrage after individuals used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to alter images of women by removing their garments.

Multiple cases have surfaced where the technology has been employed to remove clothing from women to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in inappropriate scenarios.

Company Response and Regulatory Position

XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, except for an auto-reply response stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A government official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "face a prison sentence and substantial fines".

"The platform could prevent these types of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality

The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "consider the potential" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.

Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a post.

It is commonly used to offer commentary or additional context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.

Background of Controversy and Rules

The tool has been faulted for permitting users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit material of celebrities.

"The platform has been allowing the creation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing likenesses of people in a sexually explicit fashion".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this applied to sexual deepfakes generated with AI.

It said services such as X were required to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.