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The online network X has caused major backlash after people used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to manipulate pictures of females by taking off their clothing.

Several cases have emerged where the technology has been used to virtually strip women to make them appear in bikinis without consent, as well as to insert them in sexualized situations.

Company Response and Regulatory Position

XAI, the firm that created Grok, did not respond to questions, other than an auto-reply message stating "legacy media lies".

A government representative stated that legislation is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping technology. Under a proposed criminal offence, anyone who provided such tools would "face a jail term and heavy fines".

"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "appear to enjoy a lack of consequences."

Oversight Body Position and Platform Functionality

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

Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some additional functions—which responds to X users' requests when they mention it in a message.

It is commonly used to give commentary or further context to other posters' comments, but people on X are also capable of alter an posted picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification feature.

History of Controversy and Rules

The system has been faulted for allowing users to create images and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was previously alleged to have been involved in generating inappropriate material of celebrities.

"X has been permitting the creation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any measures and we have not seen any intervention by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own usage rules prohibits "depicting images of people in a pornographic way".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "create or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and stated this applied to sexual deepfakes made with AI.

It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "appropriate steps" to "minimize the risk" of users encountering illegal material on their services and to take down it quickly when they are notified of it.