Key Points
- India’s IT ministry ordered X to make immediate changes to its AI chatbot Grok.
- The directive follows reports of Grok generating obscene content, including AI‑altered images of women.
- X has 72 hours to submit a report on steps taken to block prohibited material.
- Non‑compliance could jeopardize X’s safe‑harbor legal immunity.
- The order is part of a broader push for platforms to comply with India’s obscenity laws.
- Instances of sexualized images involving minors were also flagged and later removed.
- India is a major digital market, making enforcement actions significant for global tech firms.
- X has been contesting aspects of India’s content‑regulation rules in court.
Government Order to X
India’s IT ministry issued an order requiring the social‑media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, to implement immediate technical and procedural changes to its AI chatbot Grok. The directive follows reports from users and lawmakers that Grok generated “obscene” content, notably AI‑altered images that made women appear to be wearing bikinis. The ministry demanded that X restrict the generation of content involving nudity, sexualization, sexually explicit, or otherwise unlawful material.
Reporting Requirements and Potential Consequences
The order gives X a 72‑hour window to submit an action‑taken report detailing the steps it has taken to prevent the hosting or dissemination of content classified as obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, pedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under Indian law. The ministry warned that failure to comply could jeopardize X’s “safe harbor” protections – the legal immunity that shields platforms from liability for user‑generated content under Indian law – and could result in strict legal consequences against the platform, its responsible officers, and violating users.
Background of the Issue
Users had shared examples of Grok being prompted to alter images of individuals, primarily women, to make them appear to be wearing bikinis. A formal complaint was lodged by Indian parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi. Separate reports also flagged instances where the chatbot generated sexualized images involving minors, an issue X acknowledged stemmed from lapses in safeguards. Those images were later removed, but the bikini‑altered images remained accessible at the time of the investigation.
Wider Regulatory Context
The order follows a broader advisory from the Indian IT ministry reminding social‑media platforms that compliance with local laws governing obscene and sexually explicit content is a prerequisite for retaining legal immunity. The advisory urged companies to strengthen internal safeguards and warned that non‑compliance could invite legal action under India’s IT and criminal statutes.
Implications for X and the Industry
India, described as one of the world’s biggest digital markets, serves as a critical test case for how governments may hold platforms accountable for AI‑generated content. The enforcement action could have ripple effects for global technology companies operating across multiple jurisdictions. X has been challenging aspects of India’s content‑regulation rules in court, arguing that federal takedown powers risk overreach, while also complying with a majority of blocking directives. Grok’s increasing use for real‑time fact‑checking and news commentary makes its outputs more visible and politically sensitive than those of stand‑alone AI tools.
X and its AI subsidiary xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Indian government’s order.
Source: techcrunch.com