Musk's X investigated by EU over Grok sexualised images after public outcry

BRUSSELS: Elon Musk's X faces an investigation by the European Commission into whether it disseminates illegal content, following public outcry over the spreading of ⁠manipulated sexualised images by its artificial intelligence Grok chatbot.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, said on Monday (Jan 26) that it would investigate whether social media X protected customers by properly assessing and mitigating risks related to Grok's functionalities.

Its probe comes two weeks after British media regulator Ofcom launched its own investigation over concerns Grok was creating sexually intimate deepfake images, and after Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia temporarily blocked the chatbot.

The Commission said earlier this month that the AI-generated images of undressed women and children being shared on X were unlawful and appalling, joining condemnation across the world.

"Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

DEEPFAKE IMAGES ALARMED REGULATORS GLOBALLY

X referred to a statement issued on Jan 14 in which it said ⁠xAI had restricted image editing for Grok AI users and blocked users, based on their location, from generating images of people in revealing clothing in "jurisdictions where it's illegal". It did not identify ⁠the countries.

The Philippines and Malaysia restored access to Grok after xAI said it had installed extra safety measures.

The Commission's move under the EU Digital Services Act, which requires Big Tech to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content, came after xAI's Grok produced sexualised images of women and minors that alarmed global regulators.

Companies risk fines as much as 6 per cent of their global annual turnover for DSA breaches.

Although the changes made by xAI were welcomed, they do not resolve all the issues and systemic risks, a ‌senior official for the executive told reporters on Monday. 

The Commission believed X did not carry out an ad hoc assessment when it rolled out Grok's functionalities in Europe, the official added.

EU PROBE RISKS IRRITATING TRUMP

The investigation risks antagonising the administration of US President Donald Trump as an EU crackdown on Big Tech has triggered criticism and even ‌the threat of US tariffs.

"With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European citizens - including those of women and children - as collateral damage of its service," Virkkunen said.

European lawmaker Regina Doherty said the case exposed wider weaknesses in how AI technologies are regulated and enforced.

"The AI Act must remain a living piece of legislation. If gaps in enforcement or oversight become clear, then it is our responsibility to address them. EU laws must be enforceable in real time when serious harms occur," she said.

EU regulators also extended an investigation into X opened in December 2023 to establish whether it has properly assessed and mitigated all systemic risks related to its so-called recommender systems, including the impact of its recently announced switch to a Grok-based system.

They said X may face interim measures in the absence of meaningful adjustments to its service. X was hit with a 150 million euro fine in December for breaching its transparency obligations under the DSA.