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The online network X has caused major backlash after users used its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by removing their garments.

Several instances have been seen where the technology has been used to virtually strip female subjects to show them in swimwear without permission, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.

Company Response and Regulatory Stance

XAI, the company responsible for Grok, did not respond to inquiries, other than an standard message stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office official stated that legislation is being proposed to ban nudification software. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who provided such technology would "be subject to a prison sentence and significant penalties".

"The platform has the ability to stop these forms of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "operate with impunity."

Regulator Stance and Tool Functionality

The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "consider the risk" of people seeing illegal content on their platforms, but did not confirm whether it was at this time investigating X or Grok in regarding AI-generated pictures.

Grok is a free AI assistant—with some paid-for functions—which answers X users' prompts when they mention it in a post.

It is commonly used to provide commentary or additional context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can edit an posted image through its AI image editing feature.

Background of Criticism and Rules

The system has been condemned for allowing users to produce images and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier accused of making sexually explicit material of public figures.

"X has been enabling the production and spread of these pictures for a long time without taking any measures and we have yet to see any intervention by oversight bodies," the expert added.

XAI's own terms of service bans "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "make or share private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this included explicit AI images created with AI.

It said services such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the danger" of users coming across illegal content on their platforms and to delete it quickly when they learn of it.