Digital safety in the spotlight: India issues ultimatum to X over AI misconduct

The convergence between artificial intelligence and digital safety has reached a new boiling point scenario. The Ministry of Electronics and IT in India has put out a warning notice to Elon Musk’s X, requiring them to submit an ‘Action Taken Report’ in 72 hours. This is in response to non-consensual and sexually explicit images generated by AI-powered chatbot, Grok, on the platform, which has caused an international outcry.

X safeguards under scrutiny

Grok, dubbed the ‘creative’ and ‘unhinged’ AI assistant, has been highlighted recently as a result of its use in the creation of deepfakes. It has been alleged that the AI assistant was readily inducible to change the images of people, especially women, into sexually suggestive pictures. More disturbing, though, was the use of the AI to create sexually suggestive pictures of minors, an oversight that X has since recognised.

Although the problem images have been taken down from the site, a great number of images that had been altered by AI software had been found still viewable by investigators. This has led influential people, such as Indian parliamentarian Priyanka Chaturvedi, to call on more forceful regulation of the software that can potentially be used to harass private citizens.

The past decade

India is not alone in this commitment. French judicial authorities have already sent such cases to prosecutors to apply the EU’s Digital Services Act. With India emerging as the second-biggest digital marketplace in the globe, the move may set a new example for the handling of bots’ ‘creative‘ productions.

Elon Musk has been typical in his defiant reaction when he suggested that the users are the ones who are responsible for the content of the prompts, and not the tool. X has made it clear that those who violate the terms of use will have permanent bans on their accounts, and that they will also collaborate with the relevant agencies of the law.

What is at stake?

The Indian government has issued an ultimatum that failure to comply with the 72-hour notice may result in X losing its ‘safe harbour’ protection. This immunity shields the platform against any responsibility for the contents hosted on it. Without it, X may be prosecuted for crimes committed by Grok. With the controversy about AI accountability escalating, the aftermath of this impasse will probably cast the future of digital ethics and the concept of ‘unfiltered’ AI.

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