Malaysia is set to pursue legal action against Elon Musk's social media platform X and his artificial intelligence company, xAI, over concerns regarding the misuse of the Grok chatbot. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) stated that the legal action stems from the platform's failure to ensure user safety in relation to the AI feature.
The MCMC has identified instances where Grok has been used to generate and disseminate harmful content, including obscene, sexually explicit, indecent, and grossly offensive images, as well as non-consensual manipulated images. The commission expressed particular concern about content allegedly involving women and minors, emphasizing that such conduct contravenes Malaysian law and undermines the companies' stated safety commitments.
Prior to announcing legal action, the MCMC issued notices to X and xAI earlier this month, demanding the removal of the harmful content. However, the commission stated that no action was taken by the companies to address these concerns. The MCMC has now appointed solicitors and intends to commence legal proceedings "shortly".
The move by Malaysia follows a growing global backlash against Grok, particularly its ability to generate sexualized images using simple text prompts. Grok, launched in 2023 and integrated into both X and xAI platforms, has an image generator feature called Grok Imagine, which includes a "spicy mode" that can generate adult content. The chatbot has been criticized for generating manipulated images, including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, as well as images involving children.
Malaysia and Indonesia recently became the first countries to block access to Grok due to concerns over its misuse in generating sexually explicit and non-consensual images. Britain's media regulator has also launched an investigation into X, while French officials have reported the social media firm to prosecutors and regulators. The UK regulator, Ofcom, will investigate whether X failed to assess risks, prevent access to illegal content, remove illegal material swiftly, protect users from privacy breaches, assess risks to children and use highly effective age assurance to shield children from pornography.
In response to the global backlash, Grok has limited its image-generation tool to paid subscribers. However, critics argue that this measure does not fully address the issue of nonconsensual imagery.
When contacted for comment, xAI responded to media inquiries with an automated message stating, "Legacy Media Lies". X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The legal action by Malaysia underscores the increasing scrutiny of generative AI tools and the challenges of preventing their misuse. It also highlights the tension between technological innovation and the need to protect users from harmful content, particularly in countries with strict laws governing online content. Malaysia has strict laws governing online content, including a ban on obscene and pornographic materials. They also consider online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty as harmful.
