Even as global scrutiny of X’s AI platform Grok continues to increase with governments round the world demanding the platform stops allowing edited objectionable content, especially images of women, the company has assured India that it’d follow local laws on the issue, raised by the IT Ministry after a leading woman policymaker wrote to Prime Minister Modi drawing his attention to the continued sexualisation of women with the help of Grok.

The microblogging site X has accepted its mistake and assured it will comply with Indian laws, government sources said yesterday, according to a PTI report from New Delhi yesterday.

Around 3,500 pieces of content have been blocked, and over 600 accounts deleted, according to sources, the PTI report stated, adding that X has accepted its mistake, and said it will comply with Indian laws and in future will not allow obscene imagery.

Earlier, the government had asked X for details, including specific action taken on obscene content linked to Grok AI, and measures to prevent a repeat in future, after it found the response submitted by the platform to be inadequate.

In its response after the first notice was issued to it, X had outlined the strict content takedown policies it abides by when it comes to misleading posts and those related to non-consensual sexualised images. While the reply was long and detailed, it had “missed” key information, including takedown details and specific action that was taken on the Grok AI obscene content issue, and measures to prevent it in future.

On January 2, the IT Ministry issued a stern warning to X over indecent and sexually-explicit content being generated through the misuse of AI-based services like Grok and other tools.

X’s ‘Safety’ handle last Sunday (Jan. 4) said it takes action against illegal content on its platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.

“Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” X had said, echoing the stance taken by Musk on illegal content.

Meanwhile a Reuters report on January 9 had said that governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned and some have opened inquiries into sexually explicit content generated by xAI chatbot Grok on X, putting pressure on the platform to show what it is doing to prevent and remove illegal content.

Grok said late on Thursday (Jan. 8) it was restricting image generation and editing to paying subscribers after it said on January 2 that it was fixing safeguard lapses after isolated cases in which it produced sexualised outputs, including depictions of minors in minimal clothing.

Musk said earlier on X that anyone using Grok to make illegal content would suffer the same consequences as if they uploaded illegal content.