Elon Musk suffers a major setback as Grok AI banned in these countries
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI's much-talked-about chatbot "Grok" has once again found itself embroiled in serious controversy. The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia have taken strict action and temporarily banned it due to allegations of creating fake and obscene deepfake images. These countries say that this AI tool poses a threat to the safety of women and children. It's worth noting that the Indian government also recently expressed serious concern over the objectionable content being spread through xAI's AI tool, Grok.
AI poses a threat to the digital world
The temporary ban imposed on Grok by Malaysia and Indonesia is a clear indication that AI freedom will no longer operate without regulation. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) found in its investigation that Grok's technology was being misused to create obscene and pornographic content. Most worryingly, this content was being created without people's consent, posing a direct attack on their social standing and personal safety. The governments have termed this a serious threat to society.
The company did not improve despite warnings
Regulators have expressed strong displeasure over the negligence of X and xAI. According to the Malaysian regulator, they sent notices to the company on January 3rd and 8th, demanding immediate implementation of effective technical security measures. Regulators allege that the company did not take any concrete steps to prevent the root cause of the problem, i.e., deepfake generation, but instead focused solely on the user reporting system. The company's lackadaisical approach to security led to the drastic decision to block Grok.
No compromise on the safety of citizens
Indonesia has also taken a strong stance on this issue. Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid called it a serious violation of human rights and digital security. She clarified that the dignity of citizens, especially women and children, will not be compromised and demanded an immediate explanation from X regarding this feature. Fake photos and videos created using AI tools that appear realistic could compromise people's identities. India and the European Union have also already expressed concern on this issue. Now it remains to be seen what changes Elon Musk's company makes to its security standards amid global pressure.