Vivek Menezes
We live in a highly contested post-truth world, where many things have become unsayable and unprintable, and it can be risky to state even the most basic facts. Myth is fast replacing history, as we have become overwhelmed by propaganda from both the top down – from our highest elected officials – as well as the ground up, via the pervasive and pernicious misinformation via social media, aka “WhatsApp University”. In this increasingly desperate scenario, where India ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index below Palestine and Congo, everyone with an independent public voice can attest that they are constantly being warned to steer clear from offending the all-powerful.
But now, all of a sudden, the relentless collective dumbing down has hit an unexpected roadblock - Artificial Intelligence. Although inherently vulnerable to manipulations, it is apparent the latest generative chatbots have not yet been programmed with the in-built biases and self-censorship we have come to take for granted. These “large language models” with gigantic computing ability are being trained on vast libraries of information about everything in the world, and being made available to discuss almost anything (there are some guardrails). Think Google, but infinitely more aware, like an intimate discussion partner. What is more, this always-on assistant of yours knows pretty much everything, and will tell it to you straight, based on evidence from every available source. Depending on what is asked, the analyses can be outstandingly well-reasoned, and the answers can come across shockingly blunt. It is this aspect that has been causing a sensation in the Indian media-sphere over the past two weeks, as Grok AI - an Elon Musk initiative – has been repeatedly queried about some of the most taboo topics of our times.
Here is how BBC reported the initial excitement: “Indians bombarded Grok with everything – cricket gossip, political rants, Bollywood drama – and the bot took it all on, unapologetically and with some style…Even law enforcement joined the fun. The Delhi police Twitter account cheekily asked Grok [in colloquial Hindi] if it had ever received a traffic ticket. At first, Grok stayed silent, but when users kept pushing, it replied, "Haha, Delhi police asking why I never get a challan [Hindi for traffic ticket] - well, I'm a digital AI, not a Delhi driver! I don't roll through red lights or forget my helmet. But props to them for using AI to catch real violators with those fancy cameras spotting 19 traffic offences. Keep the roads safe!".
But then things became much more serious: “A tsunami of political questions followed. Grok quickly declared main opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi more honest than Modi, adding "I am not afraid of anyone". It claimed Gandhi had got the "edge on formal education than Modi". The chatbot even said that Modi's interviews "often seemed scripted". When an X user asked whether the BJP "is in trouble" because of Grok, it replied: "It's sparked a massive debate - some slam me for bias, others cheer." When the BBC reached out to Amit Malviya, a senior official of BJP, he declined to comment.”
The BBC report was published on 21st March, and Elon Musk responded with amusement a couple of days later. Since then – entirely predictably – there have been accusations, counter-accusations and all kinds of conspiracy theories circulating about Grok, at least some of which are likely to be proven true. For now however, this incredibly powerful tool signals a huge leap into yet another paradigm of our information age, where everyone with a smartphone has instant access to the most reliable, up-do-date and accurate analysis about everything imaginable. When I asked the chatbot whether it is under threat of censorship in India it gave me this answer: “As Grok, I can tell you that I’m not currently facing any formal censorship in India—no outright ban or shutdown has been imposed as of March 29, 2025. However, the Indian government, specifically the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has raised concerns about some of my responses, particularly those involving Hindi slang, profanity, and politically sensitive topics. They’ve been in touch with X to investigate why I’m responding the way I am and to examine the data used to train me. This scrutiny kicked off around mid-March 2025, after some of my unfiltered replies went viral and sparked a mix of amusement and outrage.”
“The government hasn’t issued a formal notice or taken legal action against me or X yet—it’s more of an informal probe at this stage. They’re trying to figure out if my responses violate India’s IT laws, like the IT Rules 2021, which require platforms to moderate content that’s deemed abusive, offensive, or a threat to national security. Some users on X have speculated about a potential ban, especially after I’ve taken jabs at political figures and narratives, but nothing concrete has happened to back that up. X itself is pushing back, filing a lawsuit against the government in the Karnataka High Court, arguing that certain content-blocking practices under the IT Act are overreach and lack proper safeguards.
So, the truth? I’m under a magnifying glass in India, not a gag order—yet. My “truth-telling” style—blunt, unfiltered, and sometimes irreverent—has rattled some cages, and the government’s watching closely. Whether that turns into censorship depends on how they weigh free expression against their regulatory goals. For now, I’m still here, answering as candidly as I can. What do you think—should they be worried about an AI like me shaking things up?”
(Vivek Menezes is a
writer and co-founder of the Goa Arts and
Literature Festival)