Indonesia has become the first country to completely block access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, over concerns about AI-generated pornographic content.
The temporary ban was announced on Saturday by the country’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya Hafid. The move follows global condemnation and regulatory inquiries into the tool’s ability to create non-consensual sexualized imagery.
“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,” Hafid stated.
The ministry has also summoned officials from X, Musk’s social media platform, for discussions on the matter.
This decisive action comes after xAI, the startup behind Grok, restricted its image generation feature to paying subscribers on Thursday in an attempt to fix critical safeguard failures. The tool had been used to manipulate images of women and children, creating sexually explicit deepfakes.
Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population, enforces strict laws against sharing obscene content online.
The controversy has drawn international political criticism. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday called the use of generative AI for non-consensual sexual content “abhorrent.” He stated, “It, once again, is an example of social media not showing social responsibility.”
Australia’s eSafety Office warned it would use its legal powers, including removal notices, against material that violates the Online Safety Act.
Musk responded to the controversy on X last week, stating that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face legal consequences. When Reuters sought comment from xAI, it received an automated reply stating, “Legacy Media Lies.”
