The Philippines said it will restore access to AI service Grok after Elon Musk’s xAI (X.AI) vowed to remove features that enabled the creation of deepfake images, Bloomberg News reported.
AI startup xAI had reached out to the Philippine government after the country blocked access to Grok last week, the report added, citing the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.
“The company has pledged to modify the tool specifically for the local market, including the omission of image/content manipulation features that allowed for deepfake creation and the total exclusion of pornographic content, particularly child sexual abuse material,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency added that it will continue to monitor the app to ensure it adheres to the rules and regulations in the Philippines, according to its head, Renato Paraiso, the report noted.
xAI said “Legacy Media Lies,” in an email to Seeking Alpha.
The Philippines moved to block Grok following similar actions by Indonesia and Malaysia, amid growing concerns over sexualized content. Several countries, including Japan, U.K., Canada, and Malaysia, had started probes related to Grok’s generation of deepfake images.
Last week, xAI said it implemented technological measures to prevent AI chatbot Grok from editing images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, and the restriction will apply to all users, including paid subscribers. “We now geoblock the ability of all users to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via the Grok account and in Grok in X in those jurisdictions where it’s illegal.”