As more nations block Grok for obscene content, calls for Asean-wide curbs mount

The separate moves by three Southeast Asian countries to block the AI chatbot Grok over sexually explicit deepfake images are “emergency brakes” that analysts say may avert immediate harm, but they fall short of coordination at the regional level needed to curb the risks of manipulated artificial intelligence.On Friday, the Philippines said it was restricting access to Grok, following similar steps by Malaysia and Indonesia, after users complained that doctored sexual images of women and minors were being generated and shared without consent.“We need to clean the internet now, because much toxic content is appearing, especially with the advent of AI,” Philippines Telecommunications Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda said at a media briefing on the same day.Grok, developed by X Corp, the social media company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, recently expanded image-editing features that allowed users to alter photographs in response to text prompts, a move that critics said enabled large-scale creation of non-consensual, sexually explicit images.The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said on January 11 that its action followed “repeated misuse of Grok to generate obscene, sexually explicit, indecent, grossly offensive and non-consensual manipulated images” involving women and minors, “despite prior regulatory engagement and formal notices”.Addressing X Corp, the regulator said the company had “failed to address the inherent risks posed by the design and operation of the AI tool” and relied largely on user reporting, adding that access would remain blocked until effective safeguards were put in place.