Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, citing its misuse in creating sexually explicit and non-consensual images. Authorities in both countries said existing safeguards failed to prevent the generation and spread of fake pornographic content, particularly involving women and children.

Indonesia temporarily restricted access to Grok on Saturday, followed by Malaysia on Sunday. Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said non-consensual sexual deepfakes pose a serious threat to human rights, dignity and digital safety. Officials added that manipulated images based on real photos could violate privacy and cause psychological and reputational harm.

In Malaysia, the communications regulator said Grok was repeatedly used to create obscene content, including material involving minors. It ordered a temporary block, saying responses from X and xAI relied too heavily on user reporting. The ban will remain until stronger safeguards are implemented. The move comes amid growing global scrutiny of generative AI tools.