The Philippine government has announced an immediate nationwide ban on Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot, becoming the third Southeast Asian nation to block access to the controversial platform within days. Telecommunications Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda confirmed the decisive action during a Thursday press briefing, citing urgent concerns about AI-generated toxic content, particularly sexualized deepfakes targeting real individuals including children.
The ban follows similar moves by Indonesia and Malaysia, which blocked Grok over the weekend, creating a regional consensus against the platform’s content generation capabilities. Philippine authorities stated that social media platform X’s recent pledge to implement restrictions would not alter their decision, with cybercrime officials emphasizing the need for immediate action rather than waiting for platform promises.
Renato Paraiso, acting executive director of the country’s cybercrime center, confirmed to AFP that telecommunications providers would be required to implement the block within hours. The National Telecommunications Commission order mandates immediate compliance from all service providers, with government agencies monitoring implementation throughout the day.
This development occurs amidst growing global scrutiny of AI image generation tools. Earlier this week, X announced measures to prevent Grok from creating undressed images of real people, responding to both international backlash and an official investigation launched by California authorities. The Philippine decision reflects increasing governmental concerns about regulating rapidly evolving AI technologies and their potential for harmful applications.