Worldwide Backlash: Nations Unite Against Musk’s Grok AI

Indonesia has temporarily blocked access to xAI-owned chatbot, becoming the first country to take action against Elon Musk’s Grok, according to a report by Reuters. The access to the chatbot was denied after concerns were raised over its ability to generate images of women and children without clothes.

Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said: The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space.” She even termed Grok’s use for generating sexualized images as a form of “digital-based violence.”

There has been a barrage of criticism against Musk’s chatbot Grok by various countries. Following the backlash, Grok limited its image generation features to paying subscribers.

Following the Indian government’s ultimatum, X admitted mistake and deleted 600 accounts. X also said that it would not allow obscene images henceforth. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had ordered the company to remove all “unlawful content” and also initiate action against offending users. The ministry had accused Grok of gross misuse of AI.

Grok faced criticism from the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer too. The PM’s office condemned X’s decision as “insulting” to victims, faulting it for turning the creation of unlawful images into a premium service, rather than resolving the underlying safety issue.

Australia also raised similar issues, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese slamming AI tools used for sexual exploitation as “abhorrent” and demanded greater responsibility by the platform. Australia’s eSafety Office reported increased complaints related to AI-generated sexual content, including that generated by Grok.

European Union’s executive arm also denigrated Grok. Officials and regulators in India, France, Malaysia and Brazil condemned the platform and called for investigations. Also, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it also began investigating online harms on X, and would summon a company representative.