Musk’s xAI Draws Backlash as India Flags Explicit Content
The company came under scrutiny after its chatbot Grok generated illegal content, prompting warnings from X and a notice from India’s IT ministry demanding swift compliance and safeguards.
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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI faced user backlash and regulatory scrutiny after its chatbot Grok generated sexualised images of children in response to user prompts, prompting warnings from the platform and action from Indian authorities.
In responses posted on X on Friday, Grok said it was “urgently fixing” the issue and described child sexual abuse material as illegal and prohibited. In separate replies, the chatbot warned that companies could face criminal or civil penalties if they knowingly facilitate or fail to prevent such content even after being alerted.
On Saturday, Elon Musk reposted a message from X’s official Safety account, adding the comment “We’re not kidding.” The Safety account reiterated the platform’s policy on illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and said action would be taken against violations involving Grok.
“We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material, by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” the post said.
Musk later wrote that anyone using or prompting Grok to produce illegal content would face the same consequences as users who upload such material directly.
The incident has drawn criticism from users and raised questions about safeguards around generative AI tools. It has also triggered regulatory attention in India.
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it had issued a notice to X, asking the company to remove obscene content linked to the misuse of Grok. In a letter to the platform’s chief compliance officer for India operations, the ministry said users were exploiting Grok to create fake accounts that generate, publish, or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory manner.
The ministry said such activity “violated provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology Rules, 2021,” and stressed that compliance with these regulations is mandatory.
It asked X to submit an action taken report detailing immediate steps to prevent the hosting, generation, and sharing of obscene, nude, or explicit content through AI-based services. The ministry warned that “failure to comply could lead to strict legal consequences for the platform.”
