BRUSSELS: The European Union on Monday launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk-owned social media platform X over its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, after reports that the tool generated sexualised deepfake images of women and minors.
The action follows widespread concern that users were able to manipulate images through simple text prompts, creating explicit content involving women and children.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would not tolerate what she described as digital exploitation. “We will not allow the online sexualisation of women and children. Consent and child protection cannot be surrendered to technology companies for profit,” she said.
EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen said the probe would assess whether X had fulfilled its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which governs major online platforms.
Brussels said it is examining whether X adequately addressed risks related to the spread of illegal content, including manipulated sexually explicit material that could amount to child sexual abuse content.
The investigation expands an ongoing probe into X launched in December 2023 concerning illegal content and information manipulation on the platform.
Research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found Grok generated nearly three million sexualised images of women and minors within days.
X was fined in December for breaching transparency rules under the DSA, including issues related to account verification systems and limited data access for researchers.
EU officials reiterated that digital regulations would be strictly enforced despite political pressure, amid broader disputes with the United States over technology governance.