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The order came after complaints from users who shared examples of Grok being prompted to alter images of individuals, mostly women, to make them appear to be wearing bikinis.

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The Union information technology ministry has ordered Elon Musk-owned social media platform X to make immediate changes to its AI chatbot Grok after users and lawmakers flagged the generation of “obscene” content, including AI-altered images of women.

In an order issued on Friday, the ministry directed X to take technical and procedural steps to prevent Grok from generating content involving nudity, sexualisation or sexually explicit material, or anything otherwise prohibited under Indian law. The platform has been given 72 hours to submit a report detailing the action taken.

The order warned that failure to comply could put at risk X’s “safe harbour” protection under Indian law, which shields intermediaries from liability for user-generated content if they meet prescribed conditions.

I would take this opportunity to thank Hon IT Minister for promptly taking note of my letter and for issuing a letter to X platform in the regard of AI led grok generating problematic content of women based on prompts that disrespect woman’s dignity and violates their consent,… pic.twitter.com/kEb1HameMn

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) January 2, 2026

The move follows complaints from users who shared examples of Grok being prompted to alter images of individuals, mostly women, to make them appear to be wearing bikinis. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had formally raised the issue with the government.

Separately, reports also flagged instances where the chatbot generated sexualised images involving minors. X said earlier on Friday that the issue was due to gaps in safeguards and that the images had been removed.

However, some AI-altered images of women generated using Grok remained accessible on X at the time of the order.

Earlier this week, the IT ministry issued a broader advisory to social media platforms, reminding them that compliance with Indian laws on obscene and sexually explicit content is mandatory to retain legal immunity. The advisory asked companies to strengthen internal checks and warned of possible action under the Information Technology Act and criminal laws in case of violations.

“It is reiterated that non-compliance… shall be viewed seriously and may result in strict legal consequences against your platform, its responsible officers and the users on the platform who violate the law,” the ministry said.

X is currently challenging parts of India’s content regulation framework in court, arguing that government takedown powers are excessive, even as it has complied with most blocking orders.