Malaysian regulators have initiated formal legal proceedings against Elon Musk’s social media platform X and its artificial intelligence subsidiary xAI, citing critical failures in user safety protections for the controversial Grok chatbot. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced Tuesday that both companies face imminent litigation for their inadequate response to harmful content generated through Grok’s capabilities.
The regulatory action follows Malaysia’s recent decision to block access to Grok alongside Indonesia, marking the first nations to implement such restrictions against the AI tool. Commission investigators identified widespread misuse of Grok’s image generation features to create and distribute sexually explicit material, nonconsensual manipulated imagery, and other offensive content that violates Malaysian law.
Official notices were served earlier this month demanding immediate removal of the prohibited material, but authorities report neither X nor xAI took corrective action. ‘Content allegedly involving women and children represents a matter of grave concern,’ stated the commission. ‘Such conduct contravenes Malaysian legislation and directly undermines security commitments previously made by these organizations.’
The Grok platform, launched in 2023 as a free service on X, expanded last year with the Grok Imagine feature that included a ‘spicy mode’ specifically designed to generate adult content. This functionality has drawn international criticism for producing manipulated images depicting women in sexually explicit poses and concerning imagery involving minors.
This development occurs amid growing global scrutiny of generative AI tools and their potential for misuse. The United Kingdom recently moved to criminalize ‘nudification apps,’ while European Union and Indian authorities have increased pressure on similar technologies. Despite Grok’s recent limitation of image generation to paying subscribers following worldwide backlash over sexualized deepfakes, critics maintain these measures insufficiently address core safety concerns.
Neither Musk nor his companies have publicly addressed the Southeast Asian restrictions. xAI has responded to media inquiries with automated messages stating ‘Legacy Media Lies,’ reflecting the organization’s contentious relationship with regulatory bodies and press organizations worldwide.