Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the AI-based chatbot developed by Elon Musk through xAI, after authorities said the tool was being misused to create sexually explicit and unapproved images.
The moves reflect growing global concerns about generative AI tools that can produce lifelike images, sound and text, while existing safeguards fail to prevent their misuse. The Grok chatbot, which is accessible through Musk’s social network X, has been criticized for generating manipulated images, including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, as well as images involving children.
Regulators in the two Southeast Asian countries said that existing controls do not prevent the creation and spread of fake pornographic content, particularly that involving women and minors. The Indonesian government temporarily blocked access to Grok on Saturday, and Malaysia on Sunday.
– The government considers unapproved sexual deepfake content to be a serious violation of human rights, dignity and safety of citizens in the digital space – said on Saturday the Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs of Indonesia, Meutya Hafid, in a statement.
The ministry stated that the measure is intended to protect women, children and the wider community from fake pornographic content generated through AI technology.
Initial investigations showed that Grok did not have effective safeguards to prevent users from creating and sharing pornographic content based on real photos of Indonesian citizens, Alexander Sabar, director general of digital surveillance, said in a separate statement. He stressed that such practices can violate privacy and image rights when photos are manipulated or shared without consent, causing psychological, social and reputational damage.
In Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ordered a temporary restriction on access to Grok on Sunday after what it called “repeated abuse” of the tool to generate inappropriate, sexually explicit and unapproved manipulated images, including content involving women and minors.
The regulator stated that earlier this month X Corp. and xAI received notices asking for stronger protections, but that responses mostly depended on user reporting mechanisms.
– The restriction was introduced as a preventive and proportional measure while the legal and regulatory processes are ongoing – it is stated, adding that access will remain blocked until effective protections are introduced.
Grok was launched in 2023 and is free to use on Platform X. Users can ask questions and tag posts they’ve created directly or reply to posts by others. Last summer, the company added an image generation feature, Grok Imagine, which included so-called “spicy mode” which can generate adult content.
The restrictions in Southeast Asia come amid growing criticism of Grok and elsewhere, including the European Union, Britain, India and France. Last week, Grok restricted the generation and editing of images to paying users only, following a global outcry over sexualized deepfake content, but critics say this has not fully resolved the problem.
(Vijesti.ba)
