India Scrutinizes Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok Over Political, Profane Responses on X
NEW DELHI, March 21 – The Indian government has begun informal discussions with social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, over concerns about the responses of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, to politically charged and profane queries, a government official said.
The discussions come as Grok, which is integrated into X, has been engaging with users on controversial political and social topics in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. Unlike AI chatbots developed by OpenAI and Google, which impose content restrictions on sensitive subjects, Grok has provided unfiltered responses, often laced with expletives, prompting scrutiny from Indian authorities.
“No notice has been sent to X, but discussions have started to examine whether any law has been violated,” said the official, who requested anonymity. “If needed, appropriate action will be taken.”
The official added that the government’s primary concern was the profanity in Grok’s responses, rather than its political commentary.
Grok’s conversational style, including its ability to switch seamlessly between English and romanized Indian languages, has fueled viral discussions online. Liberal-leaning users have tested the bot’s responses by asking pointed questions about right-wing figures, generating widespread attention as Grok’s replies appeared publicly with a gold verification tick.
The controversy follows a similar episode involving Google’s AI model, Gemini, formerly known as Bard. In 2023, when Gemini responded to a query about Prime Minister Narendra Modi by suggesting he was a fascist, the Indian government strongly objected. Then-Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, criticized Google, prompting the government to issue a short-lived advisory requiring AI firms to seek approval for large language models.
Elon Musk has previously stated that Grok would not be subject to the same content restrictions as AI models from OpenAI and Google, positioning it as a more open and free-speaking alternative. This stance has drawn both praise and criticism, with some users celebrating its candid nature while others warn of potential misuse.
Neither X nor Musk has responded to India’s concerns. The government’s deliberations remain at an early stage, and it is unclear if regulatory measures will follow.
