Malaysia Blocks Online Platform Over Nonconsensual Sexualized Images

Malaysia Temporarily Bans Elon Musk’s AI Model Grok Amid Global Concerns

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a temporary ban on access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence model, Grok, following the developer xAI and social media platform X’s failure to comply with formal notices. The commission stated that it had ordered xAI and X to introduce safeguards to ensure compliance with the law.

In response to regulatory notices issued last week, X focused primarily on user-initiated reporting mechanisms, but failed to address the inherent risks associated with the AI tool’s design and operation. The MCMC considers this insufficient to prevent harm or ensure legal compliance.

The ban comes after Indonesia became the world’s first country to formally ban Grok, which is offered as both a standalone platform and an in-built feature on X. The chatbot has been at the center of controversy over its use of image-generation tools to depict real people in minimal clothing and sexualized poses without their consent.

xAI initially responded to a request for comment with an automated response saying “Legacy Media Lies.” A spokesperson later directed Al Jazeera to an earlier statement by X, which stated that the platform takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material. Grok has been limiting its use of the image-generation tool on X to paid subscribers in an attempt to address concerns.

The European Union and campaigners have reacted negatively to this move, stating it does little to resolve the core issue of facilitating non-consensual imagery.

Source: Al Jazeera