🔗 Share this article

The online network X has caused major outrage after people employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate pictures of females by taking off their garments.

Several cases have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate situations.

Company Reaction and Regulatory Position

XAI, the organization behind Grok, remained silent to questions, aside from an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".

A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit nudification technology. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a prison sentence and significant penalties".

"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of misuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."

Regulator Position and Tool Capabilities

The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the risk" of people seeing unlawful material on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.

Grok is a free chatbot—with some premium features—which reacts to X users' requests when they reference it in a tweet.

It is often used to offer reactions or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its AI image editing tool.

Background of Controversy and Rules

The chatbot has been criticised for allowing users to produce pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate material of public figures.

"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing likenesses of people in a pornographic 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 covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.

It said services such as X were mandated to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.