The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X over concerns that its AI chatbot, Grok, was used to generate non-consensual sexualized images of real people, including women and minors.
The probe, launched Monday, focuses on whether X has met its legal obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess and mitigate systemic risks related to illegal content, particularly manipulated sexually explicit images and potential child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen condemned the practice, stating: “Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation.” She emphasized that the investigation will determine whether X treated the rights of European citizens—especially women and children—as “collateral damage” of its service.
The Commission highlighted that Grok was not included in X’s required risk assessment reports under the DSA, despite being integrated into the platform. This omission raises serious concerns about X’s failure to properly evaluate and mitigate risks. The probe also extends the Commission’s ongoing investigation into X’s recommender systems, which now may use Grok’s AI, raising further questions about algorithmic risks.
X on January 14, said it had restricted image editing to prevent depictions of people in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal, but EU officials argue these measures are insufficient and do not address systemic risks. The Commission may impose interim measures or fines of up to 6% of X’s global annual turnover if violations are found.
The investigation follows similar actions by the UK’s Ofcom, Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, which temporarily banned or restricted Grok over similar concerns. The EU is coordinating closely with Ireland’s national regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, due to X’s European headquarters being located there.
In response, X reiterated its “zero tolerance” policy for child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content, but the EU remains unconvinced that adequate safeguards are in place. The probe is ongoing, with no set deadline for resolution.
