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India Today
09-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Turkey blocks Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok over insults to President Erdogan
A Turkish court on Wednesday blocked access to some content from Grok, developed by Elon Musk-founded company xAI, after authorities said the chatbot generated responses insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and religious over political bias, hate speech and factual inaccuracies in AI chatbots have mounted since the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, with Grok dropping content accused of antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf chief prosecutor's office said it had launched an investigation, and marked Turkey's first such ban on content from an artificial intelligence tool. Authorities cited violations of laws that make such insults a criminal offence punishable by up to four years in X, nor its owner Elon Musk could immediately be reached for comment. They have not referred to the decision on the month, Musk promised an upgrade to Grok, suggesting there was "far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data".Grok, which is integrated into X, reportedly generated offensive content about Erdoan and Atatrk when asked certain questions in Turkish, the media Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) adopted the ban after the court and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu was later cited by broadcaster NTV as saying that Turkey had not yet imposed a total access ban on Grok but that it would do so if necessary, adding Turkish authorities would discuss the issue with Akdeniz, a cyber law expert at Istanbul Bilgi University, said authorities had identified some 50 posts by Grok as the basis for the investigation, ruling on the access ban and removal of certain content to "protect public order"."Turkey has become the first country to impose censorship on Grok," he said on has in recent years significantly increased oversight of social media platforms and online streaming services, passing laws to give authorities more control over content, detaining or arresting individuals for posts, launching probes into companies and limiting or blocking access to certain say the law is frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government maintains it is necessary to protect the dignity of the office.- EndsMust Watch
NDTV
09-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
X's Grog Chatbot Blocked In Turkey After Responses Insulted Erdogan
A Turkish court has blocked access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by the Elon Musk-founded company xAI, after it generated responses that authorities said included insults to President Tayyip Erdogan. Issues of political bias, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, with Grok dropping content accused of antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf Hitler. The office of Ankara's chief prosecutor has launched a formal investigation into the incident, it said on Wednesday, in Turkey's first such ban on access to an AI tool. Neither X nor its owner Elon Musk has commented on the decision. Last month, Musk promised an upgrade to Grok, suggesting there was "far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data". Grok, which is integrated into X, reportedly generated offensive content about Erdogan when asked certain questions in Turkish, media said. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) adopted the ban after a court order, citing violations of Turkey's laws that make insults to the president a criminal offence, punishable with up to four years in jail. Critics say the law is frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government maintains it is necessary to protect the dignity of the office.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Grok AI blocked in Turkey for insulting President Erdogan — Elon Musk's chatbot sparks outrage, faces first national ban
Turkey has imposed a nationwide ban on access to the Grok AI chatbot, developed by Elon Musk's xAI and integrated into the X platform (formerly Twitter). The move follows allegations that the chatbot produced responses considered offensive towards President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The ban was enforced after a Turkish court issued an order, citing local laws against insulting the head of state. The country's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) carried out the implementation of the ban. As per Turkish Penal Code provisions, publicly insulting the president is a criminal offense, punishable by up to four years in prison. Court order cites offense under Turkish penal code The legal action was prompted by Grok's responses to user prompts in the Turkish language. According to local media reports, the chatbot's replies were interpreted as derogatory towards President Erdogan. These responses, now circulating on social media, became central to the court's decision to restrict Turkish law, speech considered insulting to the president is treated as a serious crime. The court ruling, therefore, provided grounds for the BTK to act swiftly and block access to the chatbot nationwide. First official ban of an AI tool in Turkey This development marks the first time Turkey has officially banned an AI tool on legal and political grounds. While social media platforms and digital content have faced scrutiny in the past, this instance highlights a growing focus on AI-generated material and its compliance with national laws. The incident also places Turkey among the first countries to take judicial action against artificial intelligence tools based on political sensitivity, setting a precedent in tech policy enforcement. Grok's history of content-related controversies Since its launch, Grok has faced repeated criticism for generating inappropriate and controversial content. Developed by xAI as a direct competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Grok previously drew backlash over outputs that included antisemitic language and remarks appearing sympathetic to historical dictators, including Adolf Hitler. Despite these concerns and now a national ban in Turkey, neither Elon Musk nor the platform X has issued a public response regarding the recent developments. Turkey's ban on Grok reflects rising global tensions over how AI platforms handle political speech, legality, and national boundaries. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
Bangkok Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Turkey blocks Grok AI for ‘insulting' content
ANKARA - A Turkish court has blocked access to some content from Grok, the AI chatbot linked to the Elon Musk-owned X social media network, after authorities said it generated responses insulting President Erdogan, modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and religious values. Concerns over political bias, hate speech and factual inaccuracy in AI chatbots have mounted since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, with Grok reportedly producing content accused of antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf Hitler. The Ankara chief prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that it had launched an investigation that led to Turkey's first such ban on content from an artificial intelligence tool. Authorities cited violations of laws that make such insults a criminal offence punishable by up to four years in prison. Neither X nor Musk could be reached immediately for comment. They have not referred to the decision on the platform. Last month, Musk promised an upgrade to Grok, suggesting there was 'far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data'. Grok, which is integrated into X, reportedly generated offensive content about Erdogan and Ataturk when asked certain questions in Turkish, media said. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) adopted the ban after the court order. Yaman Akdeniz, a cyber law expert at Istanbul Bilgi University, said authorities had identified some 50 posts by Grok as the basis for the investigation, ruling on the access ban and removal of certain content to 'protect public order'. 'Turkey has become the first country to impose censorship on Grok,' he said on X. Turkey has in recent years significantly increased oversight on social media platforms and online streaming services, passing laws to give authorities more control over content, detaining or arresting individuals for posts, launching probes into companies and limiting or blocking access to certain sites. Critics say the law is frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government maintains it is necessary to protect the dignity of the office.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Turkey blocks X's Grok chatbot for alleged insults to Erdogan
A Turkish court has blocked access to Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by the Elon Musk-founded company xAI, after it generated responses that authorities said included insults to President Tayyip Erdogan. Issues of political bias, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022, with Grok dropping content accused of antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf Hitler. The office of Ankara's chief prosecutor has launched a formal investigation into the incident, it said on Wednesday, in Turkey's first such ban on access to an AI tool. Neither X nor its owner Elon Musk has commented on the decision. Last month, Musk promised an upgrade to Grok, suggesting there was 'far too much garbage in any foundation model trained on uncorrected data'. Grok, which is integrated into X, reportedly generated offensive content about Erdogan when asked certain questions in Turkish, media said. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) adopted the ban after a court order, citing violations of Turkey's laws that make insults to the president a criminal offence, punishable with up to four years in jail. Critics say the law is frequently used to stifle dissent, while the government maintains it is necessary to protect the dignity of the office.
