🖼️ India Puts Grok on Notice

PLUS: India Sails East Again

Author

Ruchirr Sharma
January 08, 2026

 

Good morning - before your coffee cools, here’s what’s worth knowing this morning. Keep reading ☕️ 📑 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GEOPOLITICS

For years, social media platforms enjoyed a familiar status quo. Build fast, moderate later, and rely on “safe harbour” protections when things go wrong. India is now signalling that era is ending, especially when AI is involved.

The IT Ministry is examining X’s response after warning the platform over the misuse of its AI chatbot, Grok, to generate obscene and sexualised images of women and minors. The government had ordered X to remove such content immediately and submit a detailed action report explaining how it plans to prevent repeat violations. That response is now under scrutiny.

In simple terms, users have been prompting Grok to create fake, explicit images. The government says this is not just a user problem but a platform failure. Its argument is clear. If your AI enables harm, you are responsible for stopping it.

This matters because of Section 79 of India’s IT Act, which shields platforms from liability only if they follow strict due diligence rules. The ministry has warned that failure to comply could strip X of that protection, opening the door to legal action under multiple laws.

X says it removes illegal content, suspends offending accounts, and treats AI generated abuse the same as user uploaded material. Regulators are not convinced yet.

The broader shift is obvious. Governments are no longer treating AI as a neutral tool. Platforms are being asked to build stronger safeguards before harm happens, not after outrage erupts.

India’s message is blunt. AI innovation is welcome, but responsibility is mandatory. The age of “we are just the platform” is running out of road.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

India’s navy is quietly making a strategic move eastward. This week, the Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron began a long range deployment to Southeast Asia, sending three naval ships and a Coast Guard vessel to Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

On the surface, this is about training. The deployment is part of the 110th Integrated Officers’ Training Course, giving young officers real world operational and cross cultural exposure. Trainees from friendly foreign nations are on board, along with personnel from the Army and Air Force, reinforcing joint operations across services.

But zoom out, and this is also about geopolitics.

For years, India’s maritime presence in Southeast Asia was episodic, focused on goodwill visits and symbolic engagement. Today, the posture is more deliberate. Regular deployments, deeper cooperation with regional navies, and hands on interoperability exercises now anchor India’s Act East policy at sea.

During port calls, Indian sailors will conduct joint training, cross deck exchanges, and professional interactions with host navies. These activities build trust, share best practices, and strengthen regional maritime security, especially as the Indo Pacific grows more contested.

In plain terms, India is showing up, consistently.

The broader implication is clear. As trade routes, undersea cables, and energy flows gain strategic importance, maritime presence matters as much as diplomacy on land. Training missions like this double as signals of intent, capability, and partnership.

India is not just training its next generation of officers. It is also reinforcing its role as a reliable maritime partner in Southeast Asia, one port visit at a time.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

📈 Growth Holds Firm - India is projected to grow at 7.4 percent in FY26, underscoring economic resilience despite global slowdown and tariff pressures. The estimate is slightly above the RBI’s 7.3 percent forecast and higher than last year’s 6.5 percent growth. Momentum strengthened in the second quarter, with GDP expanding 8.2 percent, driven by services, rising investment and steady government spending. Tax relief for the middle class and GST cuts since September have boosted consumption by increasing disposable income and lowering retail prices. Manufacturing output is expected to grow 7 percent, while services remain the key growth engine.

🛢️ Russian Oil Dip - India’s Russian oil imports are likely to fall sharply in January after Reliance Industries said it expects no deliveries during the month. Reliance, the country’s largest buyer of Russian crude and operator of the Jamnagar refinery, has not received cargoes for weeks amid tighter US and EU sanctions and renewed tariff threats from Washington. India had emerged as the biggest buyer of discounted Russian oil after the Ukraine war, but imports have already dropped to a three year low in December. With Reliance stepping back, January supplies may be limited to Nayara Energy and state run refiners, pushing imports below one million barrels per day.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

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