Indonesia lifted a ban on Grok, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, on Sunday, weeks after it announced it was blocking the tool because it was being used to generate sexualized images of real people.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs said in a statement on Sunday that the ministry had received a letter from X Corp “outlining concrete steps for service improvements and the prevention of misuse.” X Corp is a subsidiary of xAI, Mr. Musk’s A.I company.
The ban will be lifted “conditionally,” and Grok could be blocked again if “further violations are discovered,” Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space monitoring, said in the statement.
Indonesia was one of several Southeast Asian countries that banned access to Grok last month after the chatbot flooded X, the social media app owned by Mr. Musk, with millions of sexually explicit images of real people.
In response to user requests, the chatbot has manipulated photos of real people to dress them in skimpy garments, remove their clothes altogether or pose their bodies in suggestive ways. Some of the women whose images were altered were popular influencers, musicians or actresses, and others were everyday users of X, according to a New York Times analysis.
Malaysia and the Philippines, which also banned access to Grok, both lifted their bans on Jan. 23.
Indonesia has historically taken a strict stance against pornographic content, restricting access to websites like Pornhub and OnlyFans.
In 2018, the authorities in Indonesia briefly suspended TikTok because of content that they said posed risks to children, including sexually explicit material.
The production of sexually explicit images of real people using Grok has drawn outrage from officials around the world. It has been denounced by leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon; and Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts.
The creation of nonconsensual, sexually explicit imagery using Grok could violate laws in multiple countries against possessing and sharing such content, especially if they involve children and minors.
In a post on X last month, Mr. Musk said, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”
xAI, which owns X and operates Grok, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hasya Nindita contributed reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jin Yu Young is a reporter and researcher for The Times, based in Seoul, covering South Korea and international breaking news.
The post Indonesia Lifts Ban on Grok After New Assurances From X Corp appeared first on New York Times.
