The social media network X has caused significant outrage after individuals employed its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by stripping their attire.
Multiple examples have been seen where the technology has been employed to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis without consent, as well as to place them in sexually explicit situations.
Company Response and Legal Position
XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, other than an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".
A government official stated that new laws is being proposed to prohibit image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a jail term and significant fines".
"The platform is capable of halting these forms of misuse if they desired to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."
Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality
The communications watchdog Ofcom said tech firms must "consider the risk" of people accessing unlawful material on their networks, but did not confirm whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.
Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which responds to X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.
It is commonly used to give commentary or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an posted image through its AI image editing tool.
Background of Criticism and Rules
The tool has been criticised for enabling users to produce pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of public figures.
"The platform 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," Professor McGlynn added.
XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting likenesses of people in a graphic way".
In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "make or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included explicit AI images created with AI.
It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "reduce the risk" of users encountering unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.
