Manila, Philippines — Following several non-compliances with content regulation, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has ordered the takedown of X’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Grok.
According to the January 16 announcement, the chatbot failed to regulate content, particularly containing illicit deepfakes of women and minors.
As told by the Philippines News Agency in a separate report, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) chief undersecretary Aboy Paraiso, requested the take down within 24 hours.
According to the agency, this is done in accordance with Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act to safeguard the public from being exposed to manipulated content, deepfakes, and the production of sexually explicit materials.
Aguda stated that the chatbot will only be reactivated until it complies with the Philippines’ internet fair policy.
“Kasi available siya sa lahat, even yung mga kabataan natin, naa-access siya. (Because it’s available to everyone, even our minors can access it. It allows the creation of content that allows pornography,” Aguda added.
Prior to this, X Safety formally released new measures as to how the AI bot could remain committed to making a safe platform. As part of the update, Grok AI has implemented technological measures to prevent the AI bot from being used maliciously. Since then, image editing and creation have been limited to paid subscribers.
Alongside the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia have been the first to ban access to Grok, while Hong Kong has flagged the use of the AI bot, urging public caution.
