India Gives Elon Musk's X 72-Hour Ultimatum Over Grok's Sexualised Content
Image Source: Internet
The Indian government has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Elon Musk's X Corp. to take immediate action against its AI chatbot, Grok, which has been generating obscene and sexually explicit content. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed X to conduct a comprehensive technical review of Grok and remove all violating content. According to a letter sent to X's chief compliance officer, the ministry has cited multiple legal violations, including sections of the IT Act dealing with obscene content, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The action comes after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi demanded intervention, highlighting how men are using fake accounts to post women's photos on X and using Grok prompts to sexualise them. Chaturvedi said the trend represents an "unacceptable and gross misuse of an AI function" that breaches women's right to privacy and authorised use of their pictures. The ministry has warned that failure to comply with the requirements could result in the loss of legal protections under the IT Act and potential criminal prosecution. X has been ordered to submit a detailed Action Taken Report within 72 hours covering specific technical and organisational measures adopted for Grok. The controversy highlights broader challenges facing AI image generation tools. The Internet Watch Foundation reported a 400% increase in AI-generated child abuse imagery in the first six months of 2025. The Indian government has also been locked in a legal battle with X over the Sahyog portal, a content moderation mechanism that the American company has called a "censorship portal." A meeting has been scheduled between the ministry and X to discuss the issue, but the company is likely to seek a postponement. The MeitY notice has been sent to the secretaries of several ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women and Child Development, and chief secretaries of all state governments and union territories.
