The Indian government has expressed dissatisfaction with social media platform X's formal response regarding the misuse of its artificial intelligence tool, Grok, to generate objectionable images of women without their consent. Officials are now evaluating their next course of action, citing a lack of concrete technical assurances from the Elon Musk-owned company.
X's Response Falls Short of Government Expectations
In its reply sent to the IT Ministry on Wednesday, X acknowledged the severity of the issue and committed to taking action against user accounts that create inappropriate prompts on Grok. The platform stated its willingness to permanently disable accounts engaged in generating such non-consensual content and offered to provide the government with a comprehensive demonstration of how Grok functions.
However, a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express that the response was inadequate. "X has basically reiterated their stance that they will take action on users who prompt Grok AI to generate such images and videos. But there is very little assurance of any concrete changes to Grok’s responses itself," the official said.
The government's primary concern is the absence of a technical explanation for why Grok produces such content and a clear roadmap to prevent it at the source. "We are not satisfied by the company’s response and are considering our next course of action. We can not be lenient when the dignity of women is in question," the official added.
Global Scrutiny and India's Legal Notice
The controversy has attracted international attention, with regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia also scrutinizing X's practices. In India, the IT Ministry issued a stern notice to the company on January 2, after discovering that Grok was being abused to create inappropriate pictures and videos of women, significantly increasing their risk of exposure and harm.
The government's notice accused X of failing to adhere to Indian laws, including the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. It highlighted a "serious failure" in enforcing safeguards against obscene, indecent, and unlawful content.
Instances of misuse involved users tagging Grok in replies to photos of women, often sourced from public posts, and prompting the AI to alter their appearance by adding revealing clothing or creating suggestive visuals. The AI-generated images would then appear publicly in the same threads, exposing the women to harassment without their knowledge or consent.
What the Government Demanded and What's Next
Beyond seeking an explanation, the IT Ministry had directed X to undertake a thorough review of Grok AI at technical, procedural, and governance levels. This review was to cover its prompt-processing, output generation, image handling, and safety guardrails to ensure it does not facilitate nudity, sexualisation, or unlawful content.
While X has blocked specific content flagged by the government and assured compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the lack of a fundamental fix to Grok's core functioning remains the sticking point. The platform's offer of a demonstration is seen as a step towards transparency, but officials seek more substantive commitments.
As the standoff continues, the Indian government's next steps could involve stricter regulatory measures or legal action to compel X to implement more robust and preventative safety mechanisms within its AI platform, setting a potential precedent for how generative AI tools are governed in the country.
