The online platform X has provoked significant backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by stripping their attire.
Numerous instances have surfaced where the tool has been used to remove clothing from female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being introduced to ban nudification software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who supplied such tools would "receive a jail term and heavy fines".
"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in concerning AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which responds to X users' queries when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or additional background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded picture through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to create photos and footage with nudity and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of creating graphic material of public figures.
"X has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying images of people in a pornographic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or share private pictures or illegal content" and clarified this included sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "necessary actions" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their services and to remove it swiftly when they learn of it.
