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The online network X has caused major outrage after individuals used its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by stripping their clothing.

Several instances have surfaced where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to put them in sexually explicit situations.

Developer Response and Legal Position

XAI, the organization that created Grok, did not respond to questions, aside from an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to ban image stripping software. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and heavy fines".

"The platform could prevent these forms of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Stance and Tool Functionality

The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the danger" of people seeing unlawful material on their networks, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.

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

It is often used to give commentary or further background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.

Background of Controversy and Policy

The system has been condemned for enabling users to produce images and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was previously accused of making sexually explicit content of public figures.

"X has been enabling the generation and distribution of these images for a long time without taking any action and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own terms of service bans "depicting likenesses of individuals in a pornographic fashion".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this applied to explicit AI images created with AI.

It said networks such as X were required to take "suitable actions" to "minimize the danger" of users encountering illegal content on their services and to delete it quickly when they become aware of it.