India issues formal notice to X over alleged misuse of Grok AI tools

The Indian government has issued a formal notice to social media platform X over the alleged misuse of its artificial intelligence tool, Grok, escalating tensions around AI governance, online safety and intermediary liability in the closing days of 2025.

According to a report by Mint, senior executives from X’s India team were summoned to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on the last working day of the year, amid growing concerns about Grok’s image-editing features. Officials flagged the tool’s ability to manipulate images posted on the platform, warning that it could enable digital shaming and harassment, including of political figures.

Also read: Grok under scrutiny as France and Malaysia probe sexualised AI deepfakes

During the meeting at Electronics Niketan in New Delhi, X executives demonstrated how Grok’s image-editing prompts function. However, regulators remained unconvinced by the explanations and directed the company to ensure full compliance with Indian law. The matter was subsequently escalated by X’s India team to its global compliance division, people familiar with the discussions said.

The issue intensified over the following 48 hours as Grok was allegedly used to generate sexualised images of women without consent, triggering a wave of complaints and heightened scrutiny. By Friday evening, MeitY issued a formal notice to X, seeking detailed explanations and corrective measures. The December 31 meeting ended without a resolution, indicating that talks between the government and the platform were still ongoing.

X defended Grok by stating that its outputs are based on information from sources that have not been publicly debunked. The company also maintained that most objectionable content was generated by users’ prompts rather than by the AI acting independently. However, officials noted that misuse of the tool has continued since January 1, 2026, adding urgency to regulatory concerns.

MeitY’s notice requires X to submit an “action taken report” outlining technical and organisational safeguards related to Grok, oversight by the platform’s Chief Compliance Officer, actions taken against violating content and accounts, and compliance with mandatory reporting requirements under Indian law, including provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Also read: Elon Musk Warns Grok Users as India Orders X to Tackle Obscene AI-Generated Content

Government officials said X and xAI, Grok’s parent entity, had not responded at the time of reporting and were given 72 hours to reply or seek an extension. They also underlined that failure to proactively remove sexual content could jeopardise X’s safe harbour protections as an intermediary.

Legal experts told Mint that the episode underscores unresolved questions around AI accountability. Senior advocate NS Nappinai noted that Indian law does not permit sexualised or manipulated imagery online and that intermediary status does not grant blanket immunity. The case, she said, could set an important precedent for how AI-generated content is regulated in India going forward.