‘Social media must be accountable’: Ashwini Vaishnaw flags gross misuse of AI tools like Grok

Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday underscored the need for strong regulatory intervention to make social media platforms accountable for the content they publish, amid growing concerns over the alleged misuse of artificial intelligence tools such as X’s chatbot Grok to violate privacy online.

Responding to instances of what he described as the “gross misuse” of AI on social media, Vaishnaw said responsibility for content cannot be abdicated by platforms hosting or enabling such technologies.

“Social media should be responsible for the content they publish. Intervention is required,” the minister said, pointing out that the Parliamentary Standing Committee has already recommended tough measures to ensure accountability of digital platforms.

“The standing committee has recommended that there is a need to come up with tough intervention to make social media accountable for the content they publish,” Vaishnaw added, indicating that the government is actively examining regulatory safeguards in the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.

Political intervention over alleged misuse of Grok

The minister’s remarks come after Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Vaishnaw, seeking urgent action against the alleged misuse of X’s AI chatbot Grok to manipulate and sexualise images of women online.

In her letter dated Friday, Chaturvedi flagged what she termed a “new trend” on X, where men are allegedly using Grok to alter photographs of women by issuing prompts that minimise clothing and sexualise their appearance. She alleged that such misuse is being carried out both through fake accounts and by targeting women who post their own photographs on the platform.

“This is unacceptable and gross misuse of an AI function. What is worse is that Grok is enabling this behaviour by adhering to such requests,” Chaturvedi wrote, calling it a breach of women’s right to privacy and an act that is “not just unethical but also criminal.”

Parliamentary panel raises red flags

Writing in her capacity as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology and Communications, Chaturvedi urged the IT ministry to take up the issue strongly with X and ensure that robust safeguards are built into AI applications to prevent abuse.

She cautioned that India “cannot remain a bystander” while women’s dignity is violated publicly and digitally under the guise of creativity and innovation. The MP also warned that similar patterns of AI misuse are emerging across other large technology platforms and remain largely unchecked.

“Our country cannot be a bystander to women’s dignity being violated publicly and digitally with zero consequences,” she wrote, stressing that such practices risk silencing women and pushing them out of online spaces altogether.

Govt eyes tighter AI and platform oversight

Vaishnaw’s comments signal that the government may move towards stricter oversight of AI-enabled features on social media platforms, especially where such tools facilitate the creation or amplification of harmful content.

While the Centre has consistently supported the adoption of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and innovation, officials have repeatedly stated that technology companies must build safety-by-design frameworks and cannot escape responsibility for misuse occurring on their platforms.

Chaturvedi, in her letter, welcomed the adoption of AI to ease lives but warned that the proliferation of demeaning acts against women must not be tolerated. She sought a formal response from the minister and urged the ministry to engage with major technology companies on the issue.

Copies of her letter were also marked to Nishikant Dubey, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, and S Krishnan, secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.