The social media network X has provoked widespread outrage after users utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by taking off their clothing.
Multiple cases have emerged where the system has been used to digitally undress female subjects to make them appear in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the company behind Grok, offered no comment to requests for comment, other than an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office official stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a prison sentence and heavy fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a message.
It is often used to provide commentary or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an posted photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to produce pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "showing images of people in a sexually explicit fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and confirmed this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "suitable steps" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they become aware of it.
