Elon Musk’s social media platform X is facing a fresh investigation from the European Union over allegations that its Grok artificial intelligence chatbot failed to prevent the creation and spread of illegal deepfake content, including material involving children.
According to Bloomberg, the European Commission said the probe will examine whether X adequately identified and reduced risks linked to the rollout of Grok across the EU’s 27 member states. The case falls under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which imposes strict obligations on large online platforms to tackle harmful and unlawful material.
Concerns over sexualised deepfakes
EU officials say the investigation was triggered by reports that Grok generated and shared non-consensual sexual imagery, some of which could meet the legal threshold for child sexual abuse material.
Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s commissioner for technology and digital policy, said such content represented a serious violation of personal dignity. She described sexual deepfakes involving women and minors as an extreme form of online abuse that regulators cannot ignore.
Growing international backlash
Pressure on X has intensified in recent weeks as regulators and child safety organisations across several countries raised alarms about Grok’s behaviour.
In the United Kingdom, media regulator Ofcom is already conducting a formal inquiry into whether X has breached the Online Safety Act. Authorities in France and India have also accused the chatbot of producing sexualised images of individuals without consent, which they argue breaches national laws.
Campaigners have warned that generative AI tools, if poorly controlled, risk accelerating the spread of harmful imagery at a scale that platforms struggle to contain.
X defends its moderation efforts
X, which is owned by Musk’s artificial intelligence firm xAI, has previously said it takes illegal content seriously. The company maintains that it removes prohibited material, suspends offending accounts and cooperates with law enforcement agencies when required.
The firm has not yet issued a detailed response to the latest EU investigation.
Wider tensions between Brussels and Washington
The Grok inquiry follows a separate enforcement action under the Digital Services Act, in which EU regulators imposed a €120 million penalty on X late last year.
That earlier case focused on issues such as the platform’s paid verification system, limits placed on researcher access to data and failures to meet advertising transparency rules.
The move drew criticism from senior figures in the United States, with some officials arguing that Brussels is unfairly targeting American technology companies and undermining free expression online.
Heavy penalties under EU law
The Digital Services Act, which came into force in 2023, gives the EU broad powers to regulate major online platforms. Companies found in breach can face fines of up to six percent of their global annual revenue.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
