Grok returns to Indonesia after brief regulatory pause

Indonesia has begun processing the conditional restoration of access to Grok, the generative AI chatbot owned by Elon Musk’s X ecosystem, marking a cautious reopening after a temporary ban linked to concerns over AI-generated pornographic content.

The ministry of communication and digital affairs (Komdigi) confirmed that access to Grok will resume under strict supervision, following a written commitment from X Corp outlining concrete steps to improve safeguards and ensure compliance with Indonesian law.

The chatbot was blocked in January after authorities raised concerns over its misuse to generate non-consensual and explicit content on the social media platform X. Indonesia became the first country to deny access to Grok over such risks, placing it at the centre of a broader regional debate on AI accountability.

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Komdigi’s director general of digital space supervision, Alexander Sabar, stressed that the reopening does not represent regulatory leniency, but rather an enforcement mechanism designed to test compliance. “This conditional normalisation has been initiated following X Corp’s written statement outlining concrete plans to improve its services and prevent misuse. We consider this a basis for evaluation, not the end of supervision,” Sabar said.

According to the ministry, X Corp has committed to a series of “layered” mitigation measures, including strengthened technical safeguards, restricted access to certain features, tighter internal policies and enforcement mechanisms, and the activation of incident response protocols. These steps, the government said, will be continuously verified to assess their real-world effectiveness.

Sabar underlined that child protection and the prevention of illegal content remain central to the government’s approach, adding that compliance will be closely monitored after access is restored. “The Komdigi ministry will not hesitate to take corrective action, including reimposing a ban on the AI service, should any inconsistencies or violations be identified,” he said.

Indonesia’s move mirrors a wider regional trend. Malaysia lifted its own temporary restrictions on Grok last week after confirming the implementation of additional preventive and security measures, highlighting Southeast Asia’s increasingly coordinated stance on generative AI risks. The Philippines has also indicated it may lift its ban on Grok after xAI committed to implementing corrective measures to prevent misuse, particularly the generation of illicit and pornographic content involving minors.

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