Grok deepfake controversy: Indonesia becomes first country to block Elon Musk's AI chatbot over ‘digital violence’

Indonesia has temporarily blocked access to the chatbot, becoming the first country to block access to xAI owned chatbot, as per a report by Reuters. The action by the Indonesian government comes after the chatbot was used by thousands of users online to recreate images of women, and sometimes children, without clothes.

Indonesia's Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid in a statement quoted by Reuters said, “The government views the practice of non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space,”

The ministry took the decision while citing the need to protect women, children and public at large from the psychological and social harms of AI generatd explicit content, according to Indonesia based Antara news.

Reportedly, Indonesian government has also issued formal summons to X officials who will now be required to provide clarification and explain the negative impacts of Grok's current configuration.

The company will have to demonstrate compliance with Indonesian laws by presenting concrete technical it is taking in order to prevent future misuse.

The minister also noted that while Grok is temporarily blocked in Indonesia, the future of AI chatbot in the country will depend on the platform's willingness to implement strict content filters and ethical AI standards.

She also went

What did Elon Musk say about Grok's AI misuse?

Musk and xAI had both warned users last week about misusing the chatbot for illegal purposes, stating that it could land them into legal trouble.

“Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content” Musk had said in a post on X