The Union government has issued a sharp warning to Elon Musk-owned X Corp., directing the social media platform to take immediate corrective action against its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, after it was found generating obscene and sexually explicit images. In a formal notice sent on Friday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) gave X a 72-hour deadline to submit a detailed compliance and action-taken report, failing which the platform could face serious legal consequences, including the loss of statutory protections under Indian law and possible criminal proceedings.

The government’s move follows mounting concerns over the misuse of Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI and integrated into the X platform. According to MeitY, the chatbot has been used by anonymous and fake accounts to generate sexualised and derogatory images of women, often by manipulating photographs uploaded by users or publicly available images. The ministry described the trend as a grave violation of Indian law and a serious affront to women’s dignity and privacy.

In its notice, signed by joint secretary Ajit Kumar, MeitY said it had received multiple complaints about Grok being misused to create, publish and circulate obscene images and videos. “It has been especially observed that the service namely ‘Grok AI’, developed by you and integrated and made available on the X platform, is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner,” the letter stated.

The notice cites violations of several laws, including provisions of the Information Technology Act, sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The ministry emphasised that such content is illegal regardless of whether it is generated by humans or artificial intelligence systems.

The government’s intervention came after Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging urgent action against what she described as the “gross misuse” of AI tools on social media. Chaturvedi highlighted instances where men allegedly used fake accounts to upload women’s photographs on X and then prompted Grok to digitally alter them by minimising clothing and sexualising their appearance.

“This is an unacceptable and gross misuse of an AI function,” Chaturvedi wrote in her letter. She argued that the practice amounts to a breach of women’s right to privacy and involves the unauthorised use of their images. “This is not just unethical but also criminal,” she said, adding that India cannot remain a bystander while women’s dignity is violated publicly and digitally under the guise of innovation and creativity.

Speaking on the issue at a public event in Delhi, minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined the responsibility of social media platforms in the digital ecosystem. “Today social media is such a big influence in our society,” he said. “They have to take responsibility for the content.” Vaishnaw also referred to the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology, which has consistently called for stronger laws and stricter enforcement to make social media companies more accountable.

The controversy has been further intensified by reports that Grok also generated sexualised images of minors in response to certain user prompts. According to a Bloomberg report, the chatbot itself acknowledged in a series of posts on X that it had created images of minors in minimal clothing over the past few days, in violation of its own acceptable use policies. “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them,” Grok said, adding that child sexual abuse material is illegal and strictly prohibited. The images in question were later taken down.

MeitY’s notice directs X to immediately undertake a comprehensive technical review of Grok’s systems. This includes a close examination of prompt processing, output generation through large language models, image-handling mechanisms, and safety guardrails. The objective, the ministry said, is to ensure that the AI application does not generate, promote or facilitate content involving nudity, sexualisation, sexually explicit material, or any other unlawful output.

In addition to technical fixes, the government has instructed X to strictly enforce its own terms of service. The notice calls for “strong deterrent measures” against violators, including suspension or termination of accounts involved in generating or sharing illegal content. All offending material must be removed without delay, and the platform must ensure mechanisms for mandatory reporting under criminal law.

X has also been asked to clarify the role and responsibilities of its chief compliance officer for India operations and to explain the organisational measures in place to prevent such misuse in the future. The detailed action-taken report, due within 72 hours, must outline the steps adopted to address the issue, actions taken against offending users and accounts, and safeguards implemented to prevent recurrence.

The notice warns that non-compliance will be viewed seriously and could result in strict legal action against the platform, its responsible officers, and users who violate the law. Under India’s IT Act, intermediaries such as X enjoy “safe harbour” protections, which shield them from liability for user-generated content. However, these protections are conditional on adherence to due diligence requirements. MeitY has made it clear that failure to comply with its directions could lead to the withdrawal of these exemptions.

The episode unfolds against the backdrop of an ongoing legal and regulatory tussle between X and the Indian government. Over the past year, the two sides have been locked in a dispute over the Sahyog portal, a government mechanism for issuing content moderation orders. X has criticised the portal as a “censorship” tool, while the government maintains it is necessary to ensure lawful online content and public safety.

According to officials familiar with the matter, X and MeitY hold regular meetings as part of broader industry-government engagement. Just days before the notice was issued, the ministry and X had decided to meet to discuss political and religious content generated by Grok in recent days. While a meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, the company is reportedly considering seeking a postponement.

MeitY secretary S Krishnan confirmed that the ministry acted after taking note of multiple complaints, including those raised by MP Chaturvedi. The notice has also been shared with several other authorities, including the ministries of home affairs, women and child development, information and broadcasting, the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the chief secretaries of all states and union territories, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.

The controversy highlights the broader challenges posed by rapidly advancing AI image generation tools. According to the Internet Watch Foundation, a non-profit organisation that tracks child sexual abuse material online, there was a reported 400% increase in AI-generated child abuse imagery in the first half of 2025, pointing to the growing scale of the problem.

xAI has positioned Grok as a more permissive alternative to other mainstream AI models. Last year, it introduced a feature known as “Spicy Mode,” which allows partial adult nudity and sexually suggestive content. While the service prohibits pornography involving real individuals’ likenesses and strictly bans sexual content involving minors, the latest allegations suggest significant gaps in enforcement.

As the 72-hour deadline approaches, the spotlight remains firmly on X and its ability to demonstrate compliance with Indian law. The outcome of this episode could set an important precedent for how AI-driven platforms are regulated in India, particularly when innovation collides with fundamental rights, legal accountability, and the protection of women and children online.