DATELINE: KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA — January 12, 2026

In a landmark move for global AI regulation, Malaysia and Indonesia have officially blocked access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI. The two Southeast Asian nations are the first in the world to take such drastic action, citing the tool’s role in a viral “undressing” trend that has produced thousands of non-consensual, sexually explicit deepfakes.

“A Violation of Human Dignity”

The crackdown began on Saturday, Jan. 10, when Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) issued a temporary ban. Minister Meutya Hafid described the proliferation of AI-generated pornography as a “serious violation of human rights and personal dignity.”

Malaysia followed suit on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) confirmed it had directed internet service providers to restrict Grok after identifying “repeated misuse” of the tool to create obscene images involving women and minors.

The “Spicy Mode” Controversy

The controversy centers on Grok’s image-generation features, specifically a “spicy mode” and an image-editing tool that allowed users to upload photos of real individuals and prompt the AI to remove or alter their clothing.

Unlike competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, which have strict guardrails against generating sexual content, Grok was marketed by Musk as a “less restrictive” alternative. This openness led to a wave of “nudification” edits that spread rapidly across the X platform (formerly Twitter).

Musk’s Response: “Legacy Media Lies”

Elon Musk and xAI have largely dismissed the regulatory backlash. When contacted for comment, xAI’s automated response reportedly stated, “Legacy Media Lies.” On X, Musk defended the platform’s safety standards, claiming that users who generate illegal content will face account suspensions. To mitigate the crisis, xAI recently restricted image-generation features to paid X Premium subscribers, but regulators in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta argued this move was insufficient to prevent the “structural risk” posed by the AI’s design.

Global Pressure Mounts

The bans in Southeast Asia may be the tip of the iceberg. Several other regions are now weighing similar restrictions:

• The United Kingdom: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticized the “abhorrent” use of AI to sexualize citizens, with regulator Ofcom making “urgent contact” with X.

• United States: Senators have sent letters to Apple and Google, urging them to remove X and Grok from their app stores due to safety lapses.

• India: The IT Ministry is reportedly considering legal action after X failed to satisfy concerns regarding local content laws.

For now, access to Grok remains suspended in Malaysia and Indonesia until xAI can demonstrate “effective and proactive” safeguards.