Grok Blocked: AI Image Content Leads to Restrictions in Two Nations

KUALA LUMPUR, malaysia (AP) – Malaysia and Indonesia blocked Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, ⁣amid growing global concerns about its ⁣misuse to ⁢generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images.

Authorities are increasingly scrutinizing generative⁢ AI ⁤tools⁤ that create realistic‍ images, sound, and text. Concerns center on the failure of existing safeguards to prevent abuse. The Grok chatbot, accessible ⁤through Musk’s social media platform X, faced criticism for ‍generating manipulated images, ⁢including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, and images involving children.

“The government sees nonconsensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights,dignity and the safety of citizens⁤ in the⁤ digital ⁣space,” said Indonesian Interaction and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid.

Scrutiny of grok‍ is expanding, including in the European Union, ‍India,⁤ france, and ⁣the ⁢United Kingdom. ⁣Britain ⁢announced⁣ Monday it will criminalize “nudification apps.” ⁢The UK’s media regulator also launched⁤ an ⁣examination into whether Grok broke the law by allowing‍ users to ‍share sexualized images of children.

Last week, Grok limited image generation ⁣and editing to paying users ‍following a global backlash over sexualized deepfakes.Critics argue this change didn’t fully resolve the problem.

The Associated press ⁣received an automated reply from xAI’s media support address ⁢stating, ⁤”Legacy Media⁤ Lies,” when requesting comment.