The European Union has launched a formal investigation into Musk's X platform: Accusing Grok AI of generating "deepfake" images.

The European Commission has launched a new round of formal investigation into Musk’s social media platform X, focusing on its AI chatbot Grok’s failure to effectively prevent the generation of deepfake content. This marks another major regulatory pressure for the platform following last December’s €120 million fine imposed by the EU.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the European Commission announced on the 26th that, in accordance with the Digital Services Act, it has initiated a new formal investigation into the American entrepreneur Musk’s social media platform X, with a focus on assessing the risks posed by its built-in AI chatbot, Grok.

The European Commission stated it will focus on examining whether the X platform has adequately assessed the risks associated with deploying Grok across the 27 EU countries and has taken effective mitigating measures. EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen emphasized:

“Non-consensual deepfake content targeting women and children is a violent and unacceptable form of insult.”

This move may trigger new criticism from the United States. The Trump administration previously regarded the EU’s regulatory actions against X as an attack on free speech. Before the December fine, US Vice President JD Vance posted on X, accusing the EU of ought to support freedom of expression, rather than unfair attacks on American companies.

According to the Digital Services Act, if online platforms fail to effectively handle illegal content and misinformation, or breach their transparency obligations, the EU can impose fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.

Intensive Actions by Global Regulators

In recent weeks, Musk’s AI assistant Grok has faced reports from users worldwide for generating and spreading deepfake pornographic images on the X platform, drawing strong condemnation from regulatory agencies and child safety organizations. The UK communications regulator has formally launched an investigation into whether X violated the country’s Online Safety Act, and authorities in France and India have also spoken out, accusing Grok of illegally creating sexual content of others without their consent.

According to a Bloomberg report, Grok previously generated thousands of nude images per hour on the X platform—a phenomenon that has caught the attention of regulatory agencies in multiple countries and spurred swift action.

X responded with a policy statement, saying the company proactively deletes illegal content—including child sexual abuse material—bans problematic accounts, and cooperates with law enforcement when necessary. X emphasizes its commitment to platform safety, maintaining a “zero tolerance” stance toward child exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unauthorized pornographic content.

The EU Steps Up Regulation of X Platform

This is the second major investigation the EU has launched against X under the Digital Services Act. Previously, in December, the EU imposed a €120 million (approximately $142 million) fine for issues such as misleading users with the paid blue verification system, restricting researchers’ access to data, and failing to establish a compliant ad database.

The Digital Services Act officially came into effect in 2023, setting strict safeguards for harmful and illegal online content. The act requires large online platforms to assess and mitigate systemic risks posed by their services, including the spread of illegal content, potential harm to minors, and the dissemination of misinformation.

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