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Elon Musk's online network X has sparked widespread backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of females by taking off their attire.

Numerous instances have been seen where the tool has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to place them in inappropriate scenarios.

Company Reaction and Legal Position

XAI, the firm that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, except for an standard response stating "legacy media lies".

A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".

"The platform is capable of halting these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities

The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people seeing unlawful material on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was presently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated images.

Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a tweet.

It is often used to offer commentary or additional context to other users' remarks, but people on X are also can modify an posted image through its AI image editing function.

Background of Criticism and Policy

The system has been condemned for allowing users to produce photos and footage with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit content of public figures.

"X has been allowing the creation and distribution of these images for months without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," the expert added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "showing likenesses of people in a graphic way".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "make or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.

It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across unlawful content on their services and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.