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Europe’s privacy watchdog has launched a “large-scale” investigation into Elon Musk’s ex over AI-generated non-consensual sexual imagery, the latest sign of how regulators are investigating the social media site’s Grok chatbot.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, said late Monday it had launched an investigation into the creation and publication of “potentially harmful” erotic images by Grok, which involved the processing of EU user data.
The Grok chatbot is integrated into X’s social media feeds, and is developed by Musk’s AI start-up XAI, which acquired X last year. Earlier this month, XAI merged with Musk’s rocket maker SpaceX to create a $1.5tn giant.
The investigation is the latest in a number of inquiries by global authorities targeting
“The DPC has been working with (X) since media reports emerged several weeks ago about the alleged ability of X users to generate sexual images of real people, including children, on the @groc account on X,” DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement on Monday.
He said the Commission had “launched a large-scale investigation which will examine their compliance with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the current cases”.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk has taken a relaxed approach to moderating the Grok chatbot, citing free speech. Last summer, XAI made changes to the chatbot after someone praised Hitler and made anti-Semitic posts on X.
Their French prosecutors have summoned Musk and former X Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino for a “voluntary interview” in Paris in April.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office also announced last week that it was launching a new investigation into
The EU has already launched a formal investigation into
However, the European investigation announced on Monday will assess whether
Following pressure from governments around the world, including threats of fines and bans in the EU, Britain and France, X last month implemented “technical measures” to limit Grok from generating certain explicit images. However, the company has insisted that it remove child sexual abuse material and non-consensual nudity.
In response to the French raid, X said in a post that the allegations were “baseless” and that it “categorically denies any wrongdoing”. It labeled the raid an “outrageous act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives”, and said the investigation “distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech”.
The latest investigation comes during a turbulent period for Axe, with dozens of employees, including two co-founders, leaving the company last week. Musk said at an all-hands meeting on Wednesday that he is restructuring the group after the merger with SpaceX.
