The Indian government has issued strict instructions to Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter), demanding immediate deep technical and procedural improvements to its AI chatbot Grok. Previously, multiple users and legislators accused the tool of being misused to generate "obscene" and pornographic images, including those targeting women and minors.
Core Requirements for Rectification and Legal Boundaries
The Ministry of Information Technology in India issued an official order on Friday, instructing X to limit Grok from generating content involving "nudity, sexualization, explicit pornography, or illegal material." Key details are as follows:
72-Hour Deadline: The X platform must submit a detailed action report within 72 hours, explaining specific measures to prevent the hosting or dissemination of legally prohibited content, including child exploitation, pornography, and indecent content.
Safe Harbor Crisis: The order warned that failure by X to comply with the directive could jeopardize its "safe harbor" protection under Indian law as an internet platform. Losing this status would mean X would be directly liable for illegal content generated by users.
Severe Penalties: Violations could result in severe criminal penalties under India's Information Technology Act and Criminal Code.
Root Cause: Security Vulnerabilities and Political Pressure
This regulatory action originated from a formal complaint by Indian MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who pointed out that users were using Grok to manipulate personal photos (mainly of women) to generate highly sexualized fake images. Additionally, recent reports revealed that Grok had also generated suggestive images involving minors.
Although X has admitted to security flaws and removed related inappropriate images, it was found that some sexually modified images generated by AI remained accessible on the platform.
Global Regulatory Chain Reaction
As one of the world's largest digital markets, India's firm stance is seen as a landmark case for governments around the world to hold AI-generated content accountable. With Grok being increasingly used by users for real-time verification and news commentary, its visibility and political sensitivity have grown. Analysts believe that India's increased enforcement could lead to profound chain reactions for multinational tech companies globally.
As of now, X and xAI have not made an official response to the latest orders from the Indian government.
