The Philippine government has reversed its week-long prohibition on Elon Musk’s Grok artificial intelligence chatbot after developer xAI committed to significant modifications addressing content safety concerns. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) announced Wednesday that the ban would be lifted following xAI’s agreement to eliminate the tool’s capacity to generate pornographic content and create manipulated media.
The initial blocking action on January 15th made the Philippines the third Southeast Asian nation after Indonesia and Malaysia to restrict access to the AI platform. The prohibition came in response to global concerns regarding Grok’s ability to produce sexualized deepfakes and inappropriate imagery.
CICC Undersecretary Renato Paraiso stated that xAI has pledged to customize the tool specifically for the Philippine market, removing features that enabled content manipulation and deepfake creation. The modifications will include complete exclusion of pornographic material, with particular emphasis on eliminating child sexual abuse content.
The resolution follows X platform’s announcement last week that it would implement geoblocking measures preventing Grok and X users from creating images of people in revealing attire in jurisdictions where such actions violate local laws. This move came amid investigations by California’s attorney general and several countries into xAI’s handling of sexually explicit material.
Philippine telecommunications secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda had previously defended the ban, emphasizing the need to ‘clean the internet’ of toxic content amplified by artificial intelligence capabilities. A formal meeting between Philippine authorities and xAI representatives will establish the timeline for Grok’s reinstatement in the Philippine market.