Musk’s X investigated by EU over Grok sexualized photos after public outcry

The European Fee says it is going to examine whether or not X protected customers by correctly assessing and mitigating dangers associated to Grok’s functionalities

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Elon Musk’s X faces investigation by the European Union into whether or not it disseminates unlawful content material, following public outcry over the spreading of manipulated sexualized photos by its synthetic intelligence Grok chatbot.

The European Fee, the 27-nation bloc’s government arm, stated on Monday, January 26, that it will examine whether or not social media platform X protected customers by correctly assessing and mitigating dangers associated to Grok’s functionalities.

Its probe comes two weeks after British media regulator Ofcom launched its personal investigation over issues Grok was creating sexually intimate deepfake photos, and after Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia quickly blocked the chatbot.

The Fee stated earlier this month that the AI-generated photos of undressed ladies and kids being shared on X have been illegal and appalling, becoming a member of condemnation internationally.

“Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of ladies and kids are a violent, unacceptable type of degradation,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen stated in a press release.

Deepfake photos alarmed regulators globally

X referred to a press release issued on January 14 by which it stated proprietor xAI had restricted picture modifying for Grok AI customers and blocked customers, primarily based on their location, from producing photos of individuals in revealing clothes in “jurisdictions the place it’s unlawful”. It didn’t establish the international locations.

The Philippines and Malaysia restored entry to Grok after xAI stated it had put in further security measures.

The Fee’s transfer below the EU Digital Companies Act, which requires Huge Tech to do extra to sort out unlawful and dangerous on-line content material, got here after xAI’s Grok produced sexualized photos of ladies and minors that alarmed world regulators.

Corporations danger fines as a lot as 6% of their world annual turnover for DSA breaches.

Though the modifications made by xAI have been welcome, they don’t resolve all the problems and systemic dangers, a senior official for the manager advised reporters on Monday. The Fee believed X didn’t perform an advert hoc evaluation when it rolled out Grok’s functionalities in Europe, the official added.

EU probe dangers irritating Trump

The investigation dangers antagonizing the administration of President Donald Trump as an EU crackdown on Huge Tech has triggered criticism and even the specter of US tariffs.

“With this investigation, we are going to decide whether or not X has met its authorized obligations below the DSA, or whether or not it handled rights of European residents — together with these of ladies and kids — as collateral harm of its service,” Virkkunen stated.

European lawmaker Regina Doherty stated the case uncovered wider weaknesses in how AI applied sciences are regulated and enforced.

“The AI Act should stay a dwelling piece of laws. If gaps in enforcement or oversight grow to be clear, then it’s our duty to handle them. EU legal guidelines have to be enforceable in actual time when severe harms happen,” she stated.

EU regulators additionally prolonged an investigation into X opened in December 2023 to ascertain whether or not it has correctly assessed and mitigated all systemic dangers associated to its so-called recommender methods, together with the affect of its not too long ago introduced swap to a Grok-based system.

They stated X, which was hit with a 150 million euro high-quality in December for breaching its transparency obligations below the DSA, might face interim measures within the absence of significant changes to its service. – Rappler.com