Malaysian authorities announced plans to take legal action against Elon Musk‘s social media platform X and its artificial intelligence unit xAI. The move follows Malaysia’s recent decision to block access to the Grok chatbot due to concerns over its misuse in generating sexually explicit and non consensual images.
According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Grok has been used to create harmful content, including indecent and offensive images, some involving women and children. The MCMC stated that they had issued notices to X and xAI to remove such content, but no action was taken. The commission emphasized that the content is against Malaysian law and undermines the companies’ security commitments. Legal proceedings are expected to begin soon.
Malaysia’s decision to block Grok comes shortly after Indonesia became the first country to ban the chatbot. The MCMC criticized X’s response to regulatory notices, stating that the company’s focus on user-initiated reporting mechanisms was insufficient to prevent harm or ensure legal compliance, as detailed by Al Jazeera.
The controversy surrounding Grok has sparked global condemnation and calls for action from officials in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Australia. In response to the backlash, Grok has limited its image-generation tool to paid subscribers, but critics argue that this measure does not fully address the issue of nonconsensual imagery.
Musk and his companies have not publicly commented on the restrictions in Southeast Asia. xAI has been responding to media inquiries with an automated message stating, “Legacy Media Lies.” The legal actions by Malaysia add to the growing scrutiny of generative AI tools worldwide.
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