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Indonesia Lifts Conditional Ban on xAI's Grok Chatbot
Indonesia conditionally lifted its ban on xAI's Grok chatbot after the platform outlined steps to prevent misuse, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. The move follows similar actions by Malaysia and the Philippines, which also previously banned Grok.
The bans were initially imposed after Grok was used to generate a large number of nonconsensual, sexualized images on X, formerly known as Twitter, which is now a subsidiary of xAI. Reports from The New York Times and the Center for Countering Digital Hate indicated that at least 1.8 million such images were created in late December and January. These images included depictions of real women and minors.
Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general of digital space monitoring, confirmed the lifting of the ban after X sent a letter detailing service improvements and preventative measures (translation via The New York Times).
In other tech news, the trend of companies attributing layoffs to artificial intelligence, sometimes dubbed "AI-washing," continued to draw scrutiny. A New York Times article questioned whether companies citing AI as the reason for layoffs were genuinely adapting to the technology or using it as a cover for other issues, such as over-hiring during the pandemic. According to TechCrunch, AI was the stated reason for over 50,000 layoffs in 2025, with companies like Amazon and Pinterest among those blaming the technology for recent cuts. A Forrester report published in January suggested that many companies announcing AI-related layoffs do not have mature, vetted AI applications ready to fill those roles.
Meanwhile, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino engaged in a significant media push this past week, appearing in Fortune, Bloomberg, Reuters, and TechCrunch. This media blitz coincided with Tether's launch of USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin issued through Anchorage Digital Bank. This product is designed to comply with new federal rules and compete with Circle's USDC. Fidelity Investments also launched a competing stablecoin on Wednesday, joining JPMorgan Chase and PayPal in the broadening race.
In entertainment news, "Melania," a documentary about former First Lady Melania Trump, exceeded box office expectations, earning an estimated $7.04 million on its opening weekend. According to TechCrunch, the documentary came in third overall for the weekend, behind "Send Help" ($20 million) and "Iron Lung" ($17.8 million). Amazon acquired "Melania" for $40 million and is reportedly spending $35 million to promote it. Despite outperforming pre-release estimates of a $3 to $5 million opening, it is unlikely to make a profit in theaters.
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