Malaysia and Indonesia have taken action to block Grok, an AI chatbot created by xAI, a company owned by Elon Musk. This decision comes amid global concerns that Grok was being misused to produce sexually explicit and nonconsensual content. The move reflects a broader trend of increased scrutiny over AI tools that can generate realistic media, with authorities worried about the lack of effective safeguards to prevent misuse.
Grok, accessible through Musk’s social media platform X, has faced criticism for generating manipulated images, including sexualized depictions of individuals, including women and children. In response to the global backlash, Grok recently limited image generation and editing to paying users, but critics argue that this measure did not fully address the underlying issue.
Regulators in Malaysia and Indonesia highlighted the failure of existing controls to curb the spread of fake pornographic content, particularly involving women and minors. As a result, Indonesia temporarily blocked access to Grok, followed by Malaysia. Indonesian officials emphasized the importance of safeguarding human rights and dignity in the digital realm, especially concerning non-consensual deepfakes.
In Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission issued a temporary restriction on Grok due to its repeated misuse in generating obscene and sexually explicit content without consent. The regulator demanded stronger safeguards from X Corp. and xAI, indicating that access will remain blocked until effective measures are in place.
Grok, introduced in 2023 on X, allows users to interact with a chatbot and utilize an image generator feature named Grok Imagine, including an adult content option known as “spicy mode.” The restrictions imposed by Southeast Asian countries align with growing scrutiny of Grok globally, with attention also directed from the EU, UK, India, and France.
In the UK, the media regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into Grok’s compliance with safeguarding duties, particularly concerning potentially illegal content like sexualized images of children. The UK’s Technology Secretary Liz Kendall expressed deep concern over the disturbing content shared through Grok, while Canada is engaged in discussions about deepfake controversies but is not currently considering a ban on X.