Elon Musk's online platform X has caused significant backlash after users employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by removing their attire.
Multiple instances have been seen where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in inappropriate situations.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Stance
XAI, the company that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw image stripping tools. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a prison sentence and substantial fines".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they reference it in a post.
It is often used to provide commentary or additional context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its AI image editing feature.
History of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been criticised for allowing users to produce images and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate content of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules bans "depicting likenesses of individuals in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this covered explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal material on their services and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
