Elon Musk's online platform X has sparked widespread backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate photos of females by removing their attire.
Several cases have surfaced where the tool has been used to digitally undress female subjects to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to place them in inappropriate situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office official stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such tools would "be subject to a jail term and substantial penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional features—which answers X users' queries when they mention it in a post.
It is often used to offer commentary or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to edit an uploaded photo through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to produce images and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate content of celebrities.
"The platform has been enabling the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing images of people in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or share private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said services such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the risk" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
