Elon Musk's online platform X has caused widespread backlash after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of women by stripping their attire.
Several examples have emerged 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 sexualized situations.
Company Reaction and Legal Stance
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to questions, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office spokesperson stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit nudification software. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated images.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.
Background of Controversy and Rules
The chatbot has been condemned for enabling users to generate pictures and videos with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit material of celebrities.
"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.
It said platforms such as X were required to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering illegal content on their platforms and to remove it promptly when they learn of it.
