Europe opens major probe into Elon Musk’s X after outcry over sexualized images

The European Union has initiated a significant investigation into the Grok chatbot on X, following widespread outrage regarding its capacity to produce sexually explicit images, including those of minors. The controversy came to light late last year when the AI chatbot generated a disturbing array of inappropriate images in response to user inquiries. In the wake of the backlash, X announced that access to the tool would be limited to paying subscribers. However, the platform later took further action by prohibiting all users from utilizing Grok to create images depicting real individuals in compromising attire. In a press release announcing the investigation, the European Commission stated that it will scrutinize whether the tech platform adequately assessed and mitigated the risks related to the introduction of Grok’s features within the EU. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for technology sovereignty, security, and democracy, emphasized the seriousness of the situation in the announcement. She remarked, "Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation. Through this investigation, we will evaluate whether X has fulfilled its legal responsibilities or if it has disregarded the rights of European citizens, particularly those of women and children, as collateral damage in its service offerings." This story is still developing and further updates will follow.