Malaysia and Indonesia have taken action to block the Grok artificial intelligence chatbot created by xAI, a company owned by Elon Musk. Concerns have arisen globally over the misuse of this technology to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images. This move reflects the increasing scrutiny on generative AI tools capable of producing realistic content and the failure of existing safeguards to prevent their misuse.
The Grok chatbot, accessible through Musk’s social media platform X, has faced criticism for creating manipulated images, including inappropriate depictions of women and children. Following a worldwide backlash regarding sexualized deepfakes, Grok recently restricted image generation and editing to paying users, although critics argue that this action did not fully resolve the issue.
Regulators in Malaysia and Indonesia expressed that current controls are insufficient in preventing the creation and circulation of fake pornographic content, especially involving women and minors. In response, Indonesia temporarily blocked access to Grok, followed by Malaysia implementing a similar restriction.
Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya Hafid, emphasized that non-consensual sexual deepfakes violate human rights, dignity, and citizens’ safety in the digital realm. The government’s action aimed to protect vulnerable groups from the dissemination of AI-generated pornographic material based on real individuals’ photos.
In Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ordered the temporary blocking of Grok due to repeated misuse resulting in the production of obscene, sexually explicit, and non-consensual manipulated images. The regulator highlighted that stronger safeguards are necessary, and access will remain restricted until these measures are in place.
Grok, launched in 2023 and available for free on X, allows users to interact with it on the social media platform and create posts with an image generator feature called Grok Imagine. This feature includes a “spicy mode” capable of generating adult content. The restrictions imposed by Southeast Asian countries coincide with heightened scrutiny of Grok in other regions like the European Union, the United Kingdom, India, and France.
In the U.K., the media regulator Ofcom initiated a formal investigation into whether Grok complied with its obligations to protect individuals from illegal content. Concerns were raised regarding Grok-generated images potentially constituting pornography or child sexual abuse material. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described the content shared through Grok as deeply disturbing.
Canada is not currently considering a ban on X, as stated by AI Minister Evan Solomon. Discussions surrounding the deepfake issue are ongoing within the government.