Indonesia and Malaysia have blocked access after AI-generated sexual images spread widely on the platform, raising serious safety and legal concerns.
Other countries are also raising alarms, asking social media platforms to take responsibility for harmful and abusive content created using AI.
India has asked for quick removal instead of a ban, but the situation has sparked debate on whether stronger action may follow.
The controversy around Grok AI generating sexually explicit content shows no sign of slowing down as countries around the world take strict actions. While governments have been issuing notices to the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X regarding the removal of AI-generated obscene images, two countries have taken a stronger stance by blocking the AI tool entirely. This move is also seen as the strongest response to the growing risks to women’s privacy. The incident has reignited the debate on whether India should also block Grok AI instead of merely issuing notices.
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The issue started when people began sharing sexually explicit images of women made using AI on X. Many countries in Southeast Asia reacted strongly, and some even warned that they might block the platform. Malaysia and Indonesia were the first to suspend access to X in their region. Their governments said this step was taken because X failed to stop the spread of sexual deepfake images made without consent. They said such content is dangerous, especially for women and children, and breaks their national laws.
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Earlier, the UK government also criticised the spread of sexual AI images. It called the content unacceptable and asked the media regulator to take strict action against platforms that do not control harmful material. Leaders in Europe shared similar concerns, saying online platforms must be responsible for what is shared on them.
In India, the government responded firmly but carefully. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sent a notice to X, asking it to remove the sexual content within 72 hours and make sure it does not appear in India again. After this, X said it removed about 3,500 posts and over 600 accounts. The company also promised the government that it would improve content control and prevent such images in the future.
Also read: Elon Musk vs UK govt: Why X’s Grok AI can be banned soon
Furthermore, X has recently announced that it is limiting Grok’s image generation feature to paid users. Critics argue that this does not fully solve the problem, as it only makes misuse more expensive, not impossible. With two countries already blocking the platform, people in India are now watching closely to see if the government will take similarly strong measures.
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Bhaskar Sharma
Bhaskar is a senior copy editor at Digit India, where he simplifies complex tech topics across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and emerging consumer tech. His work has appeared in iGeeksBlog, GuidingTech, and other publications, and he previously served as an assistant editor at TechBloat and TechReloaded. A B.Tech graduate and full-time tech writer, he is known for clear, practical guides and explainers. View Full Profile
