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The online platform X has provoked significant outrage after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to manipulate pictures of females by taking off their attire.

Multiple instances have been seen where the system has been used to remove clothing from women to make them appear in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to put them in sexually explicit scenarios.

Developer Reaction and Legal Stance

XAI, the organization responsible for Grok, remained silent to questions, except for an standard response stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A government representative stated that legislation is being introduced to outlaw nudification tools. Under a proposed law, anyone who distributed such technology would "face a jail term and substantial penalties".

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

Oversight Body Stance and Platform Capabilities

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

Grok is a free AI assistant—with some additional features—which reacts to X users' prompts when they mention it in a tweet.

It is frequently used to offer commentary or more context to other users' comments, but people on X are also can edit an posted picture through its AI image editing tool.

Background of Controversy and Rules

The system has been condemned for allowing users to produce pictures and footage with nudity and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit content of celebrities.

"The platform has been allowing the creation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy forbids "depicting likenesses of individuals in a sexually explicit way".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or distribute deepfakes or illegal content" and confirmed this applied to sexual deepfakes created with AI.

It said networks such as X were mandated to take "necessary actions" to "lessen the danger" of users encountering unlawful material on their platforms and to remove it swiftly when they are notified of it.