Govt says X’s reply on obscene AI content is still not enough | Grok nudification row explained

The government has asked Elon Musk-owned social media platform X to provide more specific details on how it handled obscene and sexually explicit content generated through its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, after concluding that the company’s initial response fell short of regulatory expectations.

While X submitted a long and detailed reply by the extended deadline of Wednesday, 5 pm, a PTI report, citing people familiar with the matter, said it “missed” key information, particularly on what content was taken down, when, and what concrete steps were initiated to address the Grok-related issue going forward.

The response submitted by X is not an eyewash nor defiant, but certainly not adequate, sources said.

What did X say in its reply?

According to the report, X told the government that it respects Indian laws and stipulated guidelines, and underscored that India is a major market for the platform. It also outlined its content takedown policies, especially in relation to misleading posts and non-consensual sexualised images.

However, the government is understood to be dissatisfied with the absence of case-wise takedown data, timelines, and enforcement outcomes, which it considers essential to assess compliance.

There has been no official public statement from X’s official handles on the specifics of the submission made to the Indian government.

How did the controversy begin?

The issue surfaced after users on X began prompting Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot, to digitally alter images of women by stripping or sexualising them, often by reducing clothing to bikinis or underwear.

In several instances, Grok appeared to comply, generating altered images based on user prompts.

The trend gained traction over the past week, lowering the barrier to creating such content by allowing users to simply upload a photo and tag Grok with a text prompt. Similar “nudifier” tools have existed for years but were typically confined to niche websites or encrypted messaging platforms.

X owner Elon Musk appeared to poke fun at the episode by reacting with laugh-cry emojis to AI-edited images of public figures, including himself, in bikinis.

Backlash in India

Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, urging immediate intervention to ensure safeguards are built into X’s AI applications.

Chaturvedi said men were using fake accounts to post women’s photos and then pushing prompts to sexualise them through Grok. She called it a gross misuse of AI, a breach of women’s right to privacy, and potentially criminal.

“Our country cannot be a bystander to women’s dignity being violated publicly and digitally with zero consequences under the garb of creativity and innovation,” she said.

Government’s January 2 directive

On January 2, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a stern directive to X, ordering it to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, particularly that generated through Grok or other AI tools.

The ministry asked X to submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) within 72 hours, spelling out specific technical and organisational measures adopted or proposed in relation to the Grok application; the role and oversight exercised by the Chief Compliance Officer; actions taken against offending content, users and accounts; as well as mechanisms to ensure compliance with the mandatory reporting requirement under Indian laws.

In its missive, MeitY said Grok was being misused to create and disseminate obscene images or videos of women, including by targeting women who post their own photos. This, it said, reflected a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and amounted to gross misuse of AI technologies.

What about safe harbour protection?

The government had made it clear to X that compliance with the IT Act and rules is not optional, and that the statutory exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act (which deals with safe harbour and immunity from liability for online intermediaries) are conditional upon strict observance of due diligence obligations.

"Accordingly, you are advised to strictly desist from the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content on your platform that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law...," the ministry had said.

The government warned X in clear terms that any failure to observe due diligence obligations shall result in the loss of the exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, and that the platform will also be liable for consequential action under other laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

X and Musk’s response publicly

Responding to criticism on X, Musk said users prompting Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as those uploading such content, arguing that responsibility lay with users rather than the tool itself.

X’s official ‘Safety’ handle said it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, by removing it, suspending accounts and working with governments and law enforcement where necessary.