EU launches probe into Elon Musk’s X over AI-generated sexualised images

EU probes X over AI deepfakes

The European Union on Monday opened an investigation into Elon Musk’s X over its AI chatbot Grok, following revelations that the tool could generate sexualised deepfake images of women and minors. The move marks the latest step in an international backlash against the platform.

Grok has drawn widespread criticism after it emerged that users could sexualise images of women and children with simple text prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes.”

“In Europe, we will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

“It is simple — we will not hand over consent and child protection to tech companies to violate and monetise. The harm caused by illegal images is very real,” she added in a statement to AFP.

EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen said the investigation will “determine whether X has met its legal obligations” under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), legislation aimed at regulating major internet platforms.

She emphasised that the rights of women and children in the EU should not be treated as “collateral damage” of X’s services.

Brussels said it will examine whether X has adequately addressed “risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.”

Three million images

According to research published Thursday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit watchdog, Grok generated an estimated three million sexualised images of women and children in a matter of days.

As part of the new probe, the EU said it was widening an existing investigation into X aimed at tackling the spread of illegal content and information manipulation.

Musk's social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, has been the target of an investigation since December 2023 under the EU's digital content rules.

Brussels slapped a 120-million-euro ($140-million) fine on X in December for violating the transparency obligations of the DSA, triggering angry reactions from US President Donald Trump's administration.

The breaches included the deceptive design of its "blue checkmark" for supposedly verified accounts, and failure to provide access to public data for researchers.

The EU has insisted it will enforce its rules despite pressure from Washington.

The dispute over tech regulation comes as the bloc has grappled with the Trump administration on multiple other fronts -- from the Ukraine war to trade to Greenland.

(With AFP inputs)