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Elon Musk's online network X has provoked significant backlash after individuals utilized its AI chatbot Grok to alter photos of females by removing their garments.

Numerous instances have surfaced where the tool has been used to digitally undress women to show them in swimwear without consent, as well as to place them in inappropriate contexts.

Developer Reaction and Regulatory Stance

XAI, the firm that created Grok, remained silent to inquiries, except for an automatically-generated response stating "traditional news outlets lies".

A Home Office official stated that new laws is being brought forward to prohibit image stripping tools. Under a new law, anyone who supplied such tools would "receive a jail term and heavy penalties".

"The platform could prevent these types of misuse if they chose to," said Clare McGlynn, adding they "seem to have impunity."

Regulator Stance and Platform Capabilities

The regulator Ofcom said platforms must "evaluate the potential" of people viewing illegal content on their networks, but did not specify whether it was currently investigating X or Grok in concerning artificial intelligence images.

Grok is a free artificial intelligence—with some paid-for features—which responds to X users' requests when they reference it in a post.

It is frequently used to offer reactions or further context to other posters' remarks, but people on X are also can alter an uploaded picture through its AI image editing feature.

Background of Controversy and Policy

The system has been faulted for enabling users to generate photos and footage with explicit content and sexually suggestive content, and it was in the past alleged to have been involved in making inappropriate content of public figures.

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

XAI's own acceptable use policy bans "showing likenesses of individuals in a graphic way".

In a comment, Ofcom said it was illegal to "generate or share private pictures or child sexual abuse material" and clarified this covered sexual deepfakes made with AI.

It said platforms such as X were mandated to take "suitable actions" to "reduce the danger" of users viewing unlawful content on their services and to take down it swiftly when they are notified of it.