MeitY Issues Notice To X Over Alleged Misuse Of Grok For Sexually Explicit Content

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a formal notice to X Corp, flagging what it described as serious failures in preventing the misuse of its AI chatbot Grok to generate and circulate obscene and sexually explicit content online.

MeitY’s Cyber Laws Division wrote to X’s Chief Compliance Officer for India, accusing the platform of failing to meet its statutory due diligence obligations under the IT Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021.

The notice said Grok, which is developed by xAI and integrated into X, is being misused by users to create, alter and share obscene images and videos of women. According to the ministry, the abuse is not limited to impersonation or fake accounts but also targets women who post their own photos or videos on the platform.

MeitY said such content is being generated through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs, pointing to gaps in platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.

Calling it a “gross misuse of artificial intelligence technologies”, the ministry said X’s current systems are not adequately preventing the hosting, publication or transmission of indecent, vulgar and sexually explicit content, in violation of Indian law.

The notice further warned that such failures undermine the legal framework applicable to intermediaries in India and contribute to the normalisation of sexual harassment and exploitation in digital spaces. MeitY has sought an Action Taken Report from X, demanding immediate compliance and corrective steps to prevent further misuse of Grok and xAI’s other services.

This comes within hours of Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi writing to Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, raising concerns over the same issue.

Chaturvedi noted that the issue is not limited to stolen images or impersonation accounts. According to the letter, even women who post their own photos are being targeted, with Grok responding to such prompts instead of blocking them.

Chaturvedi, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Communications, had urged the ministry to take up the matter strongly with X. She asked the ministry to ensure that safeguards are built into AI products to prevent such abuse and to make platforms safer for women.

“As a nation we must take this up on a priority to ensure women are not victims of openly criminal practices,” the letter said, adding that silence from platforms and regulators only allows such behaviour to spread.

The development comes amid heightened global scrutiny of the misuse of generative AI tools, particularly for deepfakes, non-consensual image manipulation and sexualised content.

The MeitY has stepped up engagement with social media platforms and AI companies over the past year, issuing advisories and holding consultations on the risks posed by deepfakes, impersonation and synthetic media. It has urged platforms to strengthen due diligence measures, including clearer labelling of AI-generated content and more robust content moderation.

Government concerns sharpened after several high-profile deepfake incidents involving influential people have gone viral in recent times, triggering public outrage and regulatory attention. In response, MeitY signalled that intermediaries would be expected to ensure compliance with existing IT rules and forthcoming amendments.