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The social media network X has provoked widespread outrage after users used its AI chatbot Grok to change pictures of women by stripping their garments.

Multiple examples have surfaced where the system has been used to virtually strip women to render them in bikinis without permission, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.

Developer Reaction and Legal Position

XAI, the firm responsible for Grok, did not respond to inquiries, aside from an auto-reply response stating "legacy media lies".

A government official stated that legislation is being introduced to prohibit nudification software. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such tools would "receive a prison sentence and heavy fines".

"X or Grok has the ability to stop these types of misuse if they chose to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Position and Platform Capabilities

The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "assess the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their services, but stopped short of confirming whether it was presently examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.

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

It is frequently used to offer commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an posted image through its artificial intelligence picture modification function.

History of Criticism and Rules

The tool has been faulted for permitting users to create images and clips with explicit content and sexualised content, and it was previously accused of creating graphic content of public figures.

"The platform has been enabling the generation and sharing of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have yet to see any challenge by regulators," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing images of persons in a sexually explicit way".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "generate or share non-consensual intimate images or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this applied to explicit AI images generated with AI.

It said platforms such as X were obligated to take "necessary measures" to "minimize the danger" of users coming across unlawful content on their services and to delete it swiftly when they become aware of it.