EU is investigating Grok over the spread of sexual AI images

The European Union has launched an investigation into Grok as Elon Musk’s AI chatbot continues to receive backlash over the spread of AI-generated sexual images.

The European Union’s governing body, the European Commission, announced on Monday that it had opened a formal investigation into X over the dissemination of illegal images containing possible child sexual abuse material produced by Grok on the social media site.

The commission also said it would extend an ongoing investigation into Company X’s recommendation algorithm, after the regulator previously fined the social media platform $140 million over its “deceptive” blue check mark.

Under the EU’s digital services law, major social media platforms face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover for violations and, as a last resort, a suspension from the European Union.

When asked for comment on the new study, xAI sent an automated email response that did not address the issue.

This comes after X announced earlier this month that it had introduced “technical measures” to prevent users from editing images of real people and wearing revealing clothing, following a wave of global backlash over the circulation of AI-generated sexual images on the site.

X made this change after California’s attorney general and the British media regulator both launched investigations into Grok. However, Business Insider’s Henry Chandonnet found that AI chatbots could still be used to create sexual images.

Grok was also briefly banned in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines due to its AI images, but Malaysia and the Philippines later announced they would lift the ban after receiving assurances from xAI.

Musk refutes criticism In early January, I told one user on X that “those who use Grok to create illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they had uploaded illegal content.”