Elon Musk's online platform X has caused significant outrage after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate images of females by removing their garments.
Several cases have emerged where the system has been employed to virtually strip women to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to put them in sexualized scenarios.
Company Reaction and Regulatory Position
XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A Home Office representative stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a upcoming law, anyone who provided such technology would "receive a jail term and significant fines".
"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of abuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "operate with impunity."
Regulator Position and Tool Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was currently examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.
Grok is a no-cost artificial intelligence—with some paid-for functions—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.
It is frequently used to provide commentary or additional context to other users' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted photo through its AI image editing function.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The system has been condemned for enabling users to generate photos and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously accused of making inappropriate material of public figures.
"X has been permitting the creation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own usage rules forbids "depicting likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".
In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "create or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered explicit AI images made with AI.
It said services such as X were required to take "necessary steps" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it quickly when they are notified of it.
