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The online platform X has sparked major outrage after individuals employed its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of women by removing their clothing.

Several cases have emerged where the tool has been employed to virtually strip female subjects to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to place them in sexualized situations.

Developer Reaction and Regulatory Position

XAI, the organization that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, aside from an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".

A government representative stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who distributed such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant fines".

"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Stance and Platform Functionality

The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the risk" of people accessing unlawful material on their services, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence pictures.

Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional features—which answers X users' prompts when they tag it in a message.

It is often used to give commentary or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.

Background of Criticism and Policy

The system has been condemned for enabling users to generate pictures and clips with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was in the past accused of making graphic material of celebrities.

"The platform has been enabling the creation and spread of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own usage rules forbids "portraying likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or distribute deepfakes or child sexual abuse material" and confirmed this covered sexual deepfakes created with AI.

It said services such as X were obligated to take "appropriate actions" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they become aware of it.