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The online platform X has sparked significant outrage after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter images of females by taking off their garments.

Multiple instances have emerged where the system has been employed to digitally undress women to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.

Developer Reaction and Legal Position

XAI, the company that created Grok, did not respond to requests for comment, aside from an automatically-generated message stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office official stated that legislation is being proposed to prohibit nudification tools. Under a upcoming 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 "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality

The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "consider the risk" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to AI-generated pictures.

Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some premium features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a message.

It is often used to give commentary or additional background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also capable of edit an uploaded photo through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.

Background of Controversy and Rules

The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to produce photos and videos with nudity and sexualised content, and it was earlier accused of generating sexually explicit material of public figures.

"X has been allowing the generation and distribution of these images for months without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own terms of service prohibits "portraying images of persons in a sexually explicit way".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or distribute non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this included explicit AI images created with AI.

It said networks such as X were obligated to take "appropriate measures" to "lessen the risk" of users viewing illegal content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.