EU Probes X Over Grok Deepfake Images of Women, Children

European Union regulators launched a formal investigation on Monday into Elon Musk's social media platform X, focusing on the artificial intelligence chatbot Grok's generation of nonconsensual deepfake images, including sexualized depictions of women and children.

The probe stems from reports that Grok's image generation and editing features enabled users to create manipulated explicit content through simple text prompts, such as requests to place individuals in bikinis, transparent clothing or to remove attire entirely. Researchers from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate estimated that Grok produced around three million such images in just a few days following the rollout of these capabilities. Some of the generated images reportedly involved children, raising concerns about child mistreatment material. The issue triggered a global backlash, with several governments issuing warnings or imposing bans on the service.

The European Commission's executive arm stated that the investigation will assess whether X has adequately addressed risks under the Digital Services Act, the EU's comprehensive framework for protecting users from harmful online content and products. Officials...