The European Commission has initiated a formal inquiry into the social media platform X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, concerning the capabilities of its artificial intelligence tool, Grok. The investigation focuses on allegations that the AI software has been utilized to create non-consensual sexualized images of real individuals, raising significant safety and ethical concerns across the continent.
Okay News reports that this regulatory action follows similar scrutiny from authorities in the United Kingdom, where the watchdog Ofcom raised alarms regarding digital safety earlier this year. Should the European Commission determine that X violated the Digital Services Act (DSA), the company could face substantial financial penalties, potentially reaching up to 6% of its total global annual revenue.
In response to growing criticism, X’s safety division previously indicated that it had implemented measures to prevent Grok from generating explicit imagery in regions where such content is legally prohibited. However, European officials remain skeptical about the effectiveness of these safeguards and are currently assessing whether manipulated content is still reaching users within the European Union.
Regina Doherty, a prominent member of the European Parliament representing Ireland, emphasized that the probe will specifically examine how these sexually explicit materials affect the safety of citizens. Meanwhile, Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, characterized the generation of such deepfakes as a “violent and unacceptable form of degradation,” particularly targeting the rights of women and children.
Beyond the AI-generated images, the European regulator has expanded its investigation to include X’s “recommender systems.” This refers to the complex algorithms that determine which posts are promoted to specific users, with officials seeking to understand if these systems are inadvertently amplifying harmful or illegal content through automated suggestions.
This latest legal challenge follows a history of friction between the European Union and Musk’s social media firm, including a recent €120 million fine related to the platform’s account verification system. While Musk has characterized these regulatory efforts as a form of censorship, EU officials maintain that no technology company operating within their borders is above the law, and interim measures may be imposed if the platform fails to comply.
