EU opens investigation into X over Grok-generated sexualized images

European Union regulators announced an investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X after authorities said it had failed to prevent the spread of sexualized images generated by the AI chatbot Grok. The probe will examine whether X violated the Digital Services Act, with regulators alleging the company did not properly address the "systemic risks" of integrating Grok.

Starting in late December, sexually explicit images generated by Grok, including of children, flooded the service, and the European Commission said the integration exposed "citizens in the E.U. to serious harm." The move follows a recent 120 million-euro fine for X for other D.S.A.

breaches and a separate inquiry into its recommender algorithm and policies for preventing illicit content. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission executive vice president who oversees D.S.A. enforcement, said, "Nonconsensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation." A spokeswoman for X referred to a previous company statement saying it remained "committed to making X a safe platform for everyone" and had "zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity and unwanted sexual content." Regulators noted X first limited Grok’s image creation to paying users and later barred prompts for "images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis." British authorities are also investigating.

Key Topics

Tech, X, Grok, Digital Services Act, European Commission, Henna Virkkunen