Elon Musk's online network X has caused widespread anger after individuals utilized its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change pictures of females by taking off their attire.
Multiple cases have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.
Developer Response and Legal Position
XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, offered no comment to questions, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government representative stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit nudification software. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"X or Grok could prevent these forms of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."
Regulator Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people viewing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was presently looking into X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium features—which answers X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.
It is frequently used to provide reactions or additional background to other users' comments, but people on X are also can alter an posted photo through its AI image editing tool.
History of Controversy and Rules
The tool has been condemned for allowing users to produce pictures and videos with nudity and sexualised material, and it was previously accused of making sexually explicit material of public figures.
"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "portraying images of individuals in a pornographic manner".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or illegal content" and clarified this applied to explicit AI images generated with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "minimize the risk" of users coming across illegal content on their services and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.
