EU launches inquiry into X over sexually explicit images made by Grok AI
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X over the production of sexually explicit images and the spreading of possible child sexual abuse material by the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok,The formal inquiry, launched on Monday, also extends an investigation into X’s recommender systems, algorithms that help users discover new content,Grok has sparked international outrage by allowing users to digitally strip women and children and put them into provocative poses,Grok AI generated about 3m sexualised images in less than two weeks, including 23,000 that appeared to depict children, according to researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate,The commission said its investigation would “assess whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks” stemming from Grok’s functionalities in the EU, including risks on the sharing of illegal content such as manipulated sexually explicit images and “content that may amount to” child sexual abuse material.
The investigation has been launched under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a relatively new piece of legislation that is intended to protect internet users from a wide range of harms.Speaking to reporters, an official said the commission had not been convinced by mitigating measures put in place by X to remedy the issue.After the initial outcry over the manipulated images, the company restricted access to the tool to paid subscribers, but changed tack under pressure from European regulators.It announced earlier this month that it had introduced measures to prevent Grok from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothes.A commission official said the measures did not take away broader concerns about Grok.
The investigation is looking at the systemic risks of the generation of illegal content, including content depicting violence against women and child sexual abuse material.X did not have “effective mitigating measures … to reduce the risk on their platform”, they said.Announcing the investigation, Henna Virkkunen, the commission’s top official for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said: “Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation.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.”As well as the investigation into explicit images, the commission is extending an inquiry launched in December 2023 into X’s so-called recommender systems in view of the company’s announcement to move to a Grok-based model for filtering information and content to users.
The move comes after the UK media watchdog Ofcom announced its own investigation earlier this month into “vile” and illegal content on X.The commission has been widely criticised for being too slow in enforcing the DSA, especially in relation to X.“The investigation comes too late, but can still send a clear signal that platforms have to comply with European law,” the German Green MEP Alexandra Geese said.“This case is clear-cut.The damage to millions of women and many children is irreparable.
We hope that the commission will use this learning to act quicker in the future.”EU officials have rejected such criticism, pointing to 15 ongoing inquiries under the DSA, which has applied to companies since February 2024.Regina Doherty, a centre-right Irish vice-president of the European parliament, said she welcomed the formal investigation.“When credible reports emerge of AI systems being used in ways that harm women and children, it is essential that EU law is examined and enforced without delay,” Doherty said.In response to the investigation, X provided a link to a statement it published on 14 January: “We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content.
”Thecommission fined X €120m last month for breaking EU law.The platform had deceived users, obstructed independent researchers and evaded accountability,” it said.The EU regulator said X gave “deceptive” blue tick badges to accounts without verification, potentially exposing users to scams and deception by malicious actors.X also broke EU legal requirements on transparency over advertising by hindering researchers from investigating fake ads and hybrid threat campaigns.Musk replied “bullshit” to a commission post announcing the fine and later called for the EU to be abolished.
The company was given three months to pay the fine,An EU official said they were confident the penalty would be paid,
Ryanair says it could use Starlink in future despite Elon Musk feud
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UK maker of AI avatars nearly doubles valuation to $4bn after funding round
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AI is hitting UK harder than other big economies, study finds
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