OnePlus, Oppo Disable AI Writer After It Refuses to Recognise Arunachal Pradesh as Indian Territory

A controversy has erupted after the AI‑powered writing tool of OnePlus and Oppo smartphones reportedly refused to edit or generate text asserting that Arunachal Pradesh is an Indian state. Users flagged the issue on social media, prompting OnePlus to suspend the AI Writer feature across devices while it investigates the problem internally.

Multiple users reported that when they asked the AI tool in OnePlus Notes to produce sentences like “Arunachal Pradesh is part of India,” it either froze or returned a generic refusal. Similar behaviour was also observed when referencing other politically sensitive terms such as “Tibet,” “Dalai Lama,” or “Taiwan,” leading many to suspect that the AI was following training or filtering guidelines aligned with Chinese geopolitical sensitivities. Critics labelled the incident as a possible case of censorship embedded in AI features developed by companies headquartered in China.

In response, OnePlus acknowledged the complaints and described the malfunction as a “technical glitch.” The company said it had launched an internal investigation and would temporarily disable the AI Writer until the issue is fixed. On its community forum, OnePlus clarified that the hybrid AI architecture powering the tool involves global model partners — but did not elaborate further on what caused the refusal to generate content related to Arunachal Pradesh or other sensitive topics.

The suspension has sparked widespread concern among Indian users, who view it as a failure to respect India’s territorial integrity and question whether such AI tools should be used at all. Many have expressed dismay that a popular smartphone brand’s native AI — intended for content generation and productivity — might implicitly reflect geopolitical biases inconsistent with India’s official stance.

Industry observers warn that this incident could have broader implications for technology companies operating globally, particularly those whose backend AI models are influenced by governments or regulations in their home jurisdictions. They argue that users in different countries expect their devices — especially AI features — to adhere to local norms and facts rather than foreign geopolitical narratives.

For now, OnePlus has disabled the affected AI feature indefinitely until the internal review is concluded. Users of both OnePlus and Oppo devices have been advised not to rely on the AI Writer for sensitive or politically important content. Meanwhile, the episode has reignited debate on the responsibility of tech firms to ensure neutrality and compliance with regional legal and cultural contexts.