Elon Musk’s X under EU investigation after reports of Grok AI sexual deepfakes

The European Union has opened a formal investigation into X, owned by Elon Musk, over concerns that its AI chatbot Grok has been used to generate sexualised images of real people. The probe is being led by the European Commission and focuses on whether X has met its obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Also Read: When AI cites AI! ChatGPT starts citing Elon Musk’s Grokipedia for answers

What the investigation is about

The Commission said it will examine whether X properly assessed and reduced the risks linked to Grok’s image-generation features within the EU. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have raised concerns that Grok was able to create manipulated, sexually explicit images, including content involving women and minors. Also Read: Grok image output raises alarm: 23,000 sexualised child images in 11 days, says report

Regulators say the probe will look into whether this kind of content reached users in the EU and how quickly X moved to stop it from spreading. If violations are found, X could face fines of up to 6% of its annual global turnover under the DSA. Also Read: The $10 trillion handshake: Elon Musk crashes Davos to join forces with the King of Wall Street!

Grok changes and platform response

X has previously said it took steps to limit Grok’s image-editing capabilities in certain regions where such content is illegal. The company also restricted some image-editing features behind a paywall. However, regulators note that users can still generate images through Grok’s chatbot interface on the platform.

The Commission has stated that it may impose interim measures if X does not make meaningful changes during the course of the investigation.

Wider scrutiny of X continues

This is not the only ongoing probe involving X. The Commission has also extended an investigation it first launched in December 2023 into risks linked to X’s recommendation systems, including how Grok-powered features may influence what content is shown to users.

The move follows a recent EU fine imposed on X over its blue checkmark system, which regulators said could mislead users because accounts were not being meaningfully verified.

Reactions from EU officials and campaigners

EU officials have taken a firm stance on the issue. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, described sexual deepfakes as an unacceptable form of harm. She said the investigation would determine whether X treated the rights of EU citizens as secondary to the rollout of new technology.

Advocacy groups have also welcomed the probe, arguing that safeguards should have been in place before such tools were made widely available.

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What happens next

The investigation is still at an early stage, and no final conclusions have been reached. X has not issued a detailed response to the EU’s latest action. Depending on the findings, the case could lead to penalties or further requirements for how Grok operates within the EU.