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The online platform X has provoked widespread anger after users used its artificial intelligence assistant Grok to change images of women by taking off their attire.

Several examples have surfaced where the tool has been used to virtually strip women to render them in swimwear non-consensually, as well as to insert them in sexualized scenarios.

Developer Reaction and Legal Position

XAI, the company behind Grok, remained silent to questions, aside from an standard message stating "legacy media lies".

A Home Office official stated that new laws is being introduced to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a upcoming criminal offence, anyone who supplied such technology would "receive a jail term and significant penalties".

"X or Grok could prevent these types of abuse if they desired to," said a law professor, adding they "appear to enjoy impunity."

Oversight Body Position and Tool Capabilities

The communications watchdog Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the danger" of people accessing illegal content on their platforms, but did not specify whether it was at this time examining X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.

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

It is commonly used to offer reactions or more background to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also able to alter an uploaded photo through its AI image editing feature.

Background of Controversy and Policy

The chatbot has been criticised for permitting users to create pictures and videos with explicit content and sexualised material, and it was earlier alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate material of public figures.

"X has been permitting the generation and sharing of these images for a long time without taking any measures and we have not witnessed any challenge by oversight bodies," Professor McGlynn added.

XAI's own terms of service prohibits "depicting images of people in a pornographic fashion".

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

It said services such as X were mandated to take "suitable actions" to "lessen the danger" of users viewing unlawful material on their services and to remove it promptly when they are notified of it.