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The online platform X has sparked significant anger after users utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter pictures of women by removing their clothing.

Numerous cases have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear without consent, as well as to insert them in sexually explicit scenarios.

Developer Response and Legal Position

XAI, the firm behind Grok, offered no comment to questions, except for an automatically-generated response stating "legacy media lies".

A government spokesperson stated that new laws is being proposed to outlaw image stripping technology. Under a new criminal offence, anyone who supplied such tools would "face a jail term and heavy fines".

"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they wanted to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have a lack of consequences."

Regulator Stance and Tool Capabilities

The communications watchdog Ofcom said technology companies must "evaluate the risk" of people viewing unlawful material on their platforms, but stopped short of confirming whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in regarding artificial intelligence pictures.

Grok is a free chatbot—with some additional functions—which answers X users' requests when they mention it in a post.

It is often used to give reactions or more background to other users' remarks, but people on X are also able to modify an uploaded picture through its artificial intelligence picture modification tool.

Background of Criticism and Policy

The chatbot has been faulted for permitting users to produce pictures and clips with explicit content and sexually suggestive material, and it was in the past accused of generating graphic content of celebrities.

"X has been allowing the generation and distribution of these pictures for months without taking any action and we have not seen any action by regulators," the expert added.

XAI's own usage rules bans "portraying likenesses of individuals in a graphic fashion".

In a statement, Ofcom said it was unlawful to "generate or circulate private pictures or illegal content" and confirmed this covered explicit AI images created with AI.

It said services such as X were obligated to take "suitable measures" to "reduce the risk" of users viewing unlawful content on their platforms and to take down it promptly when they become aware of it.