CICC to lift ban on Grok following talks with developer xAI

The Philippines' ban on artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok will be lifted, following government discussions with Elon Musk-led developer xAI regarding sexually explicit content.

In a statement on Wednesday, Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) reported successful negotiations with xAI.

The CICC said the chatbot developer reached out to the Philippine government after the country initially placed a ban on Grok on January 16. 

Grok, a built-in AI chatbot on X (formerly Twitter), was originally flagged by the CICC and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for its capability to create sexually explicit content and "nonconsensual illicit deepfakes."

xAI had pledged to modify Grok to omit image and content manipulation features to counter the creation of deepfake pornographic content, especially child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

"The Grok AI app has reached out to us and stated that its platform will no longer use any content manipulation. Even after lifting the ban, the CICC will still closely monitor the app to ensure they comply with the rules and regulations in our country," shared CICC Undersecretary Renato Paraiso.

The CICC and xAI are set to have another discussion regarding the resumption of Grok services in the Philippines.

Grok was blocked within 24 hours of Aguda's announcement on January 15 that the government would do so, and that it does not need to ask permission from X (formerly Twitter) or its developers to ban the system.

The National Telecommunications Commission, through a memorandum circular and in coordination with the CICC, ordered all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the Philippines to immediately block Grok. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

The Philippines is the third country to ban Grok following Malaysia and Indonesia, while other countries like Australia and the United Kingdom have launched probes into the matter.

xAI had earlier said it is imposing restrictions on users to limit image manipulation and editing.