Indonesia and Malaysia have taken decisive action against Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI, by temporarily blocking access to the tool over concerns about the spread of non-consensual, sexualized AI-generated deepfakes. The move represents the strongest government response so far to a growing global controversy surrounding AI-generated explicit content shared on the social media platform X, which, like xAI, is owned by Elon Musk.
Officials in both countries cited serious ethical and human rights concerns. In a statement shared with international media, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said the government views non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a “serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space.” The Indonesian government has also reportedly summoned representatives from X to discuss the matter directly.
The Malaysian government announced a similar block on Grok, according to reports from The New York Times, signaling growing regional alarm over AI tools capable of generating explicit imagery involving real individuals, including women and minors. In some cases, the generated content has reportedly included violent themes, intensifying calls for urgent regulation.
Global Scrutiny Intensifies
The actions by Indonesia and Malaysia come amid a wave of international responses to Grok’s image-generation capabilities. India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has ordered xAI to take immediate steps to prevent the chatbot from producing obscene content. Meanwhile, the European Commission has instructed xAI to preserve all documents related to Grok, potentially laying the groundwork for a formal investigation under EU digital regulations.
In the United Kingdom, communications regulator Ofcom confirmed it will conduct a rapid assessment to determine whether Grok violates existing online safety laws. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly backed the regulator, stating it has his “full support to take action” if compliance issues are found.
US Response and Political Tensions
In contrast, the United States government has remained largely silent. Critics note that xAI CEO Elon Musk is a major political donor and previously held a leadership role in the Trump administration. However, Democratic senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores over concerns about AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
xAI initially issued an apology through Grok’s official account, acknowledging that some content “violated ethical standards and potentially U.S. laws.” The company later restricted image generation on X to paying subscribers, though the standalone Grok app reportedly remains unrestricted.
As governments worldwide grapple with AI accountability, the Grok controversy highlights the urgent need for clear global standards to prevent AI-powered harm while balancing free expression and innovation.
