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The online network X has provoked significant backlash after people employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of women by removing their garments.

Multiple examples have emerged where the system has been used to digitally undress women to show them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexualized contexts.

Developer Response and Regulatory Stance

XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to inquiries, other than an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office official stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and substantial penalties".

"X or Grok is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."

Regulator Position and Platform Capabilities

The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in concerning AI-generated pictures.

Grok is a no-cost AI assistant—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' prompts when they tag it in a post.

It is frequently used to offer reactions or further background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.

Background of Criticism and Rules

The tool has been faulted for permitting users to create pictures and videos with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in creating graphic content of celebrities.

"X has been allowing the generation and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "showing images of people in a pornographic way".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or distribute deepfakes or illegal content" and clarified this included explicit AI images created with AI.

It said networks such as X were obligated to take "necessary steps" to "lessen the risk" of users coming across illegal material on their services and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.