Elon Musk's online network X has provoked widespread backlash after users employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of females by removing their garments.
Numerous examples have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized scenarios.
Developer Reaction and Legal Position
XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, aside from an standard message stating "legacy media lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit nudification tools. Under a new law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a prison sentence and substantial penalties".
"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."
Regulator Stance and Platform 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 looking into X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they reference it in a message.
It is often used to give commentary or more background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded picture through its AI image editing function.
Background of Controversy and Policy
The tool has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and videos with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of making inappropriate material of celebrities.
"X has been allowing the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," the expert added.
XAI's own terms of service forbids "portraying likenesses of persons in a sexually explicit way".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or circulate non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included sexual deepfakes generated with AI.
It said networks such as X were mandated to take "suitable steps" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it promptly when they learn of it.
