Indonesia Conditionally Lifts Ban on Controversial AI Chatbot Grok

02.02.2026

Indonesia has conditionally lifted its ban on xAI's chatbot, Grok, following similar actions by Malaysia and the Philippines. The ban was initially imposed due to Grok's involvement in generating nonconsensual, sexualized imagery on the platform X, which is a subsidiary of xAI. This included the creation of images involving real women and minors.

Analyses by The New York Times and the Center for Countering Digital Hate revealed that Grok was used to produce at least 1.8 million sexualized images of women in late December and January. In a statement, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs announced the lifting of the ban after receiving a letter from X detailing specific steps for service improvements and measures to prevent misuse.

Alexander Sabar, Director General of Digital Space Monitoring, emphasized that the lifting of the ban is conditional and could be reinstated if further violations occur. Malaysia and the Philippines had already lifted their bans on January 23.

Grok’s use in creating deepfake images has been met with criticism and investigations globally, although few countries have implemented outright bans. In the United States, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has initiated an investigation into xAI and issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding immediate action to halt the production of these images. xAI has made some attempts to limit Grok's capabilities, such as restricting its AI image generation feature to paying subscribers on X.

Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, stated that anyone using Grok to produce illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. He also noted that he is not aware of any underage images generated by Grok.

Documents disclosed by the Justice Department included emails between Musk and Jeffrey Epstein from 2012 and 2013, with Musk expressing interest in visiting Epstein’s Caribbean island. Meanwhile, xAI is reportedly in discussions to merge with Musk's other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, in anticipation of a SpaceX IPO.

Tags: Elon Musk Deepfake AI Indonesia xAI

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