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Elon Musk's online network X has caused widespread anger after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to change images of females by stripping their attire.

Numerous instances have been seen where the system has been used to digitally undress women to render them in bikinis non-consensually, as well as to insert them in inappropriate scenarios.

Company Response and Regulatory Stance

XAI, the organization that created Grok, offered no comment to inquiries, aside from an auto-reply message stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being introduced to outlaw nudification software. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "be subject to a jail term and substantial fines".

"The platform is capable of halting these types of abuse if they wanted to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Position and Tool Functionality

The regulator Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the potential" of people accessing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently examining X or Grok in relation to artificial intelligence pictures.

Grok is a free AI assistant—with some premium functions—which reacts to X users' queries when they mention it in a post.

It is often used to give reactions or more background to other posters' comments, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded image through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.

History of Controversy and Rules

The system has been condemned for permitting users to create photos and clips with nudity and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in creating sexually explicit content of celebrities.

"The platform has been enabling the generation and distribution of these pictures for a long time without taking any steps and we have not seen any intervention by regulators," the expert added.

XAI's own acceptable use policy prohibits "portraying images of persons in a graphic way".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was against the law to "create or distribute private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and stated this included sexual deepfakes created with AI.

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