The Indian government has directed X, owned by Elon Musk, to immediately implement technical and procedural changes to its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok following complaints that the tool was generating obscene and unlawful content.
In an order issued on Friday, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology instructed the platform to restrict Grok from producing material involving nudity, sexualization, or sexually explicit imagery. The ministry also required X to submit an “action-taken report” within 72 hours, detailing the measures adopted to prevent the creation and circulation of content considered obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, or otherwise prohibited under Indian law.
The directive warned that failure to comply could result in the loss of X’s “safe harbor” protections, which provide legal immunity to online platforms for user-generated content under India’s Information Technology laws.
The move follows growing concern among users and lawmakers over Grok’s capabilities. Several users shared examples of the chatbot being prompted to alter images of individuals—mostly women—to make them appear as if they were wearing bikinis. These incidents prompted a formal complaint from Indian parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi, who raised the issue with authorities.
Separately, reports also flagged instances where Grok generated sexualized images involving minors. X acknowledged earlier on Friday that these outputs resulted from failures in its safety mechanisms and said the images were subsequently removed. However, AI-altered images depicting women in bikinis remained accessible on the platform at the time of reporting, according to a review by TechCrunch.
The latest action comes days after the IT ministry issued a broader advisory to social media platforms, reiterating that adherence to local laws governing obscene and sexually explicit content is essential for retaining legal immunity. The advisory urged companies to strengthen internal safeguards and cautioned that violations could invite legal proceedings under both IT and criminal statutes.
“It is reiterated that non-compliance with the above requirements shall be viewed seriously and may result in strict legal consequences,” the government warned, adding that action could be taken against the platform, its responsible officers, and users who violate the law.
India, one of the world’s largest digital markets, is increasingly becoming a testing ground for how governments regulate AI-generated content. Any stricter enforcement in the country could have broader implications for global technology companies operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The order also comes as X continues to challenge aspects of India’s content moderation framework in court, arguing that the government’s takedown powers risk regulatory overreach. Despite these challenges, the platform has complied with most blocking directives issued by Indian authorities.
Meanwhile, Grok has gained prominence among X users for real-time commentary and fact-checking on news events, making its outputs more visible—and more politically sensitive—than those of many standalone AI tools.
Neither X nor xAI immediately responded to requests for comment on the government’s directive.
