The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk-owned social media platform X over concerns that its AI chatbot Grok was used to generate sexually explicit deepfake images of real individuals.
The probe follows a similar move by the UK communications regulator Ofcom in January and focuses on whether X has breached its obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). If violations are confirmed, the company could face fines of up to 6 percent of its global annual revenue.
X previously said it had blocked Grok from digitally altering images of people to remove clothing in regions where such content is illegal.
Regina Doherty, an Irish member of the European Parliament, said the Commission would examine whether manipulated sexually explicit images were shown to users within the EU. Campaigners and victims have criticised the technology, saying it should never have been allowed to generate such content.
The Commission said it could impose interim measures if X fails to introduce meaningful safeguards. It has also expanded an ongoing investigation launched in December 2023 into risks linked to X’s content recommendation algorithms.
Despite the growing scrutiny, Musk has publicly mocked new restrictions around Grok and previously accused regulators, including the UK government, of using the issue as a pretext for censorship.
X recently claimed Grok generated more than 5.5 billion images within a 30-day period.
Other countries, including Australia, France and Germany, are also examining the chatbot. Grok was temporarily banned in Indonesia and Malaysia, though Malaysia has since lifted its restriction.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for technology, described AI-generated sexual deepfakes as a harmful and degrading practice, saying the investigation would determine whether X has upheld its legal responsibilities and protected users, particularly women and children.
The move comes weeks after the EU fined X €120 million over concerns that its blue tick verification system misled users.
Meanwhile, US officials have criticised the EU’s actions, accusing European regulators of targeting American technology companies. Musk echoed those claims in posts on X.
With inputs from BBC