Elon Musk's online platform X has provoked significant backlash after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of women by removing their clothing.
Multiple instances have been seen where the technology has been used to remove clothing from women to render them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, except for an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw nudification software. Under a proposed law, anyone who supplied such technology would "face a prison sentence and significant penalties".
"The platform is capable of halting these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people accessing unlawful material on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which responds to X users' requests when they tag it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to give reactions or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to edit an uploaded picture through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been condemned for permitting users to create images and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been enabling the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any action by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "portraying likenesses of persons in a graphic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images made with AI.
It said networks such as X were required to take "appropriate measures" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their services and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.
