The online network X has provoked widespread outrage after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by removing their garments.
Several instances have emerged where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit situations.
Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the firm behind Grok, remained silent to requests for comment, other than an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being brought forward to outlaw nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "receive a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality
The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "assess the danger" of people viewing illegal content on their services, but did not specify whether it was currently looking into X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or additional context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The chatbot has been condemned for allowing users to generate pictures and footage with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past accused of generating inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been allowing the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any action and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or circulate deepfakes or illegal content" and stated this covered explicit AI images created with AI.
It said services such as X were mandated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their services and to delete it promptly when they are notified of it.
