The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s Ax over the production of sexually explicit images by the platform’s AI chatbot feature, Grok, and the dissemination of possible child sexual abuse material.
The formal investigation, launched on Monday, also expands the investigation into X’s recommendation system, algorithms that help users discover new content.
Grok has sparked international outrage by allowing users to digitally disrobe women and children and put them in provocative poses. According to researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the Grok AI created nearly 3 million sexually explicit images in less than two weeks, 23,000 of which depicted children.
The Commission said its new investigation will “assess whether the company has properly assessed and mitigated the risks arising from Grok’s practices in the EU”, including the risks of sharing illegal content such as doctored sexually explicit images and “content that may resemble child sexual abuse material”.
The investigation has been launched under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a relatively new law that aims to protect internet users from a wide range of harms.
Speaking to reporters, an official said the Commission was not convinced by the EU’s lack of measures to resolve the issue. EU officials are investigating whether Ax has systems in place to properly mitigate the risks.
Announcing the investigation, Hanna Virkkunen, the Commission’s top official for Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation. With this investigation, we will determine whether X fulfilled its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated the rights of European citizens, including women and children, as collateral damage of its service.”
Irish MEP Regina Doherty said she welcomed a formal investigation. “When credible reports emerge of the use of AI systems to harm women and children, it is vital that EU law is investigated and implemented without delay,” Doherty said.
In response to the investigation,
