The European Union has escalated its confrontation with Elon Musk’s social media platform X, launching a new investigation Monday into the AI chatbot Grok amid allegations that it can be used to generate sexualised deepfake images of women and minors.
The move marks the latest step in what is becoming an international backlash against the tool and against Musk’s increasingly defiant approach to regulation.
EU officials say the probe was triggered after it emerged that Grok could manipulate images using simple text prompts, including commands such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes.”
According to Brussels, those capabilities raise serious concerns about the creation and dissemination of illegal sexually explicit material, including content that could qualify as child sexual abuse material under European law.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen framed the investigation in stark moral terms. “In Europe, we will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children,” she said, adding that consent and child protection would not be “handed over” to tech companies for monetization.
EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen echoed that stance, saying the probe would determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the bloc’s Digital Services Act and warning that the rights of women and children should not become “collateral damage” of online services.
The investigation comes despite repeated warnings from the Trump administration that aggressive enforcement of European tech rules could provoke retaliation. U.S. officials have argued that the EU’s regulatory framework unfairly targets American companies and threatens free speech. Brussels, however, appears unmoved, insisting it will enforce the DSA regardless of political pressure from Washington.
According to research published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Grok generated an estimated three million sexualised images of women and children within just a few days. Earlier this month, Grok announced it would restrict image generation and editing features to paying subscribers, but EU officials made clear that limiting access does not absolve a platform of responsibility. “Child sexual abuse material is not a premium privilege,” commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said.
The new probe also expands an existing EU investigation into X that began in December 2023, focusing on the spread of illegal content and information manipulation. That expansion follows X’s announcement that Grok will power its recommendation systems, raising concerns that risks associated with the AI were not properly assessed.
