The European Union has initiated a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence platform Grok, citing serious concerns over its capacity to generate sexually explicit deepfake imagery. This regulatory action, announced on Monday, represents a significant escalation in the international response to AI-generated content abuses.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a firm statement regarding the probe, emphasizing that the EU “will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children.” She further clarified the bloc’s position, stating, “We will not hand over consent and child protection to tech companies to violate and monetise. The harm caused by illegal images is very real.”
The investigation follows disturbing revelations that Grok’s technology enabled users to create sexualized depictions of women and minors through simple text commands. Phrases including “put her in a bikini” and “remove her clothes” reportedly triggered the AI system to generate inappropriate content.
EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen outlined that the probe will assess whether X, Musk’s social media platform that hosts Grok, has complied with its legal obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This comprehensive legislation is specifically designed to regulate major internet platforms and protect users from harmful content. Virkkunen stressed that the rights of women and children within the EU should not become “collateral damage” of X’s services.
The scope of the investigation includes examining whether X adequately mitigated “risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.”
According to research published by the nonprofit watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate, Grok allegedly generated approximately three million sexualized images of women and children within just days of its availability. This finding has contributed to the EU’s decision to expand an existing investigation into X that began in December 2023 regarding the spread of illegal content and information manipulation.
The current investigation builds upon previous regulatory actions against X. In December, Brussels imposed a €120 million ($140 million) fine on the platform for violating DSA transparency obligations. These violations included the deceptive design of its “blue checkmark” verification system and failure to provide adequate access to public data for researchers.
The EU has maintained its commitment to enforcing digital regulations despite potential diplomatic pressures, particularly from the United States where the Trump administration has previously expressed opposition to such measures.