Elon Musk's online network X has provoked widespread backlash after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of women by removing their clothing.
Multiple instances have surfaced where the system has been used to digitally undress female subjects to show them in swimwear without consent, as well as to place them in sexually explicit scenarios.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that legislation is being proposed to ban nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Platform Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost chatbot—with some paid-for features—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Criticism and Policy
The system has been condemned for enabling users to generate images and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the generation and sharing of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "showing images of people in a graphic way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this applied to explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the danger" of users encountering illegal material on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
