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Social media users in Indonesia turn to AI chatbot to voice criticism
X’s Grok, a large language model (LLM) infused with humor and rebellion, offers Indonesian netizens a playful platform to express social critique in a non-confrontational manner, helping them avoid legal consequences under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.
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New playground: A person opens a Grok page on X social media on a computer in Jakarta in this photo illustration created on April 16, 2025. Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot integrated with X, recently gained traction among X users to voice criticism. Grok generates responses based on user posts, such as statements or news, allowing it to produce critical replies backed by data. (JP/Niken Prathivi)
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mid growing public discontent over controversial law revisions and global economic uncertainty, social media users are turning to Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot integrated with X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their criticism in a humorous way.
When an X user with the account Kehcey (@Kehcey) asked Grok to evaluate President Prabowo Subianto’s performance since taking office six months ago, the AI chatbot gave the president a score of 3 out of 10, citing police brutality during protests against the revision of the TNI Law in March as having marred his administration.
The answer amused Hasna Nadhiroh, a 31-year-old education and tech employee, who had been passively following the online chatter. She reposted questions from X users that she found interesting or funny, with one of them being Grok’s reply to Kehcey’s post.
Hasna also shared Grok’s response to a question from user Neji (@raden_masneji), who asked the chatbot to deliver a humorous critique of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Javanese. Grok followed the prompt with a lighthearted commentary on concerns about nepotism, referencing the election of Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as vice president, and gently reminding that leaders are expected to prioritize the public interest over personal or family ties.
“Grok adds its own color to X. It’s entertaining, but it also helps express concerns we might be too afraid to type or say out loud,” Hasna said.
Neji’s post was a response to a question posed earlier by Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politician Dedy Nur Palakka, who asked Grok why former president Jokowi continued to face criticism even after his term. Dedy requested Grok to answer in the comedic style of stand-up comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono.
Grok responded in a sarcastic, Pandji-style tone. Rather than defending the former president, whose youngest son Kaesang Pangarep now leads the PSI, the reply took a critical turn, which in turn led other users to poke fun at Dedy.
