The Philippines announced on Thursday that it plans to block access to Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok within the day, citing serious concerns over the spread of AI-generated sexualized deepfakes. The move follows similar bans imposed by Indonesia and Malaysia, reflecting growing regional action against harmful misuse of artificial intelligence.
Government officials said the decision was driven by the increasing volume of toxic and abusive online content, particularly deepfakes enabled by AI tools. Authorities stressed the urgency of protecting internet users, especially children, from exploitation and digital harm.
Telecommunications regulators have instructed internet service providers to enforce the ban nationwide, with officials confirming that access to the chatbot is expected to be blocked across the country by the end of the day. Compliance will be closely monitored to ensure effective implementation.
The ban comes despite statements from the platform hosting Grok that it is taking steps to prevent the generation of explicit or manipulated images of real people. Philippine authorities said such assurances would not influence enforcement decisions, emphasizing that regulatory action would depend on concrete results rather than announcements.
Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to impose a complete ban on Grok, followed by Malaysia shortly afterward. The Philippines’ move highlights a broader regional push to regulate AI platforms amid rising concerns over online safety, deepfake abuse and ethical use of emerging technologies.