X Gets 48-Hour Extension to Respond to Government Over Objectionable Grok AI Content

The central government has granted X Corp an additional 48 hours to submit a detailed compliance report on steps taken to prevent its AI chatbot, Grok AI, from generating obscene and sexually explicit content.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has extended the deadline to January 7 at 5 pm, following a request from the platform citing public holidays and limited staff availability. The extension follows an earlier directive that required the company to respond within 72 hours.

The ministry had raised serious concerns over the misuse of Grok AI, stating that the tool was being used to generate and circulate explicit images and content, particularly targeting women. Authorities warned that continued non-compliance could result in the platform losing legal protections under Indian law.

In its communication, the ministry directed X to submit an Action Taken Report outlining technical safeguards introduced for Grok, steps taken against violative content and accounts, the role of the company’s compliance officers, and systems implemented for mandatory crime reporting.

Officials indicated that prior discussions with the platform had focused on Grok’s responses to political and religious queries, and not on obscene or pornographic content. As a result, the formal notice reportedly came as a surprise to the company. A scheduled meeting earlier this month was postponed at X’s request.

The government has cautioned that failure to meet compliance requirements could attract strict legal consequences for the platform, its officers, and users, including the withdrawal of statutory immunity provisions.

Separately, lawmakers have flagged concerns over AI-generated sexualised content, urging stronger accountability from social media platforms. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reiterated that digital platforms must take responsibility for content hosted on their services, citing parliamentary recommendations for stricter regulatory frameworks.

The platform, owned by Elon Musk, has yet to make a public statement following the extension.