India puts pressure on X over Grok after complaints about obscene AI content
According to reports, India has ordered Elon Musk’s X to urgently change how its Grok chatbot operates after lawmakers and users raised concerns about sexually explicit and unlawful AI-generated material
India’s technology ministry has instructed X to make immediate technical and procedural fixes to its AI chatbot Grok after it was found to be generating content deemed obscene under Indian law. TechCrunch reports that the government has given the company 72 hours to submit a detailed report explaining what steps it has taken to prevent the creation and spread of sexually explicit, indecent or otherwise prohibited material.
The warning carries real weight. Officials have made clear that failure to comply could put X’s “safe harbour” status at risk, removing the legal protections that shield platforms from liability for user-generated content.
Complaints over altered images
The intervention follows complaints from users and politicians who highlighted Grok’s ability to manipulate images, particularly of women, to make them appear to be wearing bikinis. TechCrunch says these examples prompted a formal complaint from Indian parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi.
More seriously, separate reports identified instances where the chatbot generated sexualised images involving minors. X acknowledged that these outputs were caused by gaps in its safeguards and said the images were removed. However, TechCrunch found that some AI-altered images of women remained accessible on the platform at the time of publication.
Safe harbour under threat
The order builds on a broader advisory issued earlier this week, reminding social media companies that compliance with India’s laws on obscene and sexually explicit content is a condition for retaining legal immunity. The ministry warned that non-compliance could trigger action under both IT and criminal statutes, targeting platforms as well as responsible executives and users.
A global test case for AI regulation
India’s move matters beyond its borders. As one of the world’s largest digital markets, the country is emerging as a key test of how far governments will go in holding platforms accountable for AI-generated content. Any tightening of enforcement could have implications for global tech firms operating across multiple jurisdictions.
TechCrunch notes that the order comes as X continues to challenge aspects of India’s content regulation rules in court, even while Grok becomes more visible on the platform as a tool for real-time commentary and fact-checking. X and xAI did not respond to requests for comment.
