Grok users creating illegal content will face consequences, says Musk

New Delhi: Elon Musk, owner of microblogging platform X, said on Saturday that users creating illegal content using the platform’s AI service Grok would face the same consequences as those uploading unlawful material directly.

The statement came a day after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) directed X to immediately remove vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, particularly material generated using the AI application Grok, warning of legal action in case of non-compliance.

Responding to a post on “inappropriate images”, Musk said on X, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”

Some people are saying Grok is creating inappropriate images.

But that’s like blaming a pen for writing something bad.

A pen doesn’t decide what gets written. The person holding it does.

Grok works the same way. What you get depends a lot on what you put in.

Think about it!

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) January 3, 2026

The post Musk responded to stated, “Some people are saying Grok is creating inappropriate images. But that's like blaming a pen for writing something bad. A pen doesn't decide what gets written. The person holding it does. Grok works the same way. What you get depends a lot on what you put in. Think about it!”

Meity has directed X to take action against offending content, users and accounts, and to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours from the issuance of the order.

In its direction, the ministry said it had received inputs over time, including through public discourse and representations from parliamentary stakeholders, indicating that certain categories of content circulating on X may not comply with laws related to decency and obscenity.

The government’s move followed a letter from Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi to Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking urgent intervention over incidents involving the misuse of Grok to create and circulate vulgar images of women on social media.

According to the order, the “Grok AI” service developed by X is being misused by users through fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner, leading to their indecent denigration.

Earlier, on December 29, Meity issued an advisory asking social media platforms to immediately review their compliance frameworks and act against obscene, vulgar, inappropriate and unlawful content, cautioning that failure to do so could result in prosecution under Indian law.