European Union opens investigation into Musk's AI chatbot Grok over
sexual deepfakes
[January 27, 2026] By
KELVIN CHAN
LONDON (AP) — The European Union opened a formal investigation into Elon
Musk's social media platform X on Monday after his artificial
intelligence chatbot Grok spewed nonconsensual sexualized deepfake
images on the platform.
European regulators also widened a separate, ongoing investigation into
X's recommendation systems after the platform said it would switch to
Grok's AI system to choose which posts users see.
The scrutiny from Brussels comes after Grok sparked a global backlash by
allowing users through its AI image generation and editing capabilities
to undress people, putting females in transparent bikinis or revealing
clothing. Researchers said some images appeared to include children.
Some governments banned the service or issued warnings.
The 27-nation EU's executive said it was looking into whether X has done
enough as required by the bloc's digital regulations to contain the
risks of spreading illegal content such as "manipulated sexually
explicit images."
That includes content that “may amount to child sexual abuse material,"
the European Commission said. These risks have now “materialized,” the
commission said, exposing the bloc's citizens to “serious harm.”
Regulators will examine whether Grok is living up to its obligations
under the Digital Services Act, the bloc's wide-ranging rule book for
keeping internet users safe from harmful content and products.
In response to a request for comment, an X spokeswoman directed The
Associated Press to an earlier statement that the company remains
“committed to making X a safe platform for everyone" and that it has
“zero tolerance” for child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity,
and unwanted sexual content.
The X statement from Jan. 14 also said it would stop allowing users to
depict people in “bikinis, underwear or other revealing attire,” but
only in places where it has been deemed illegal.
“Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent,
unacceptable form of degradation,” Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice
president at the commission, said in a statement.
“With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal
obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European
citizens — including those of women and children - as collateral damage
of its service,” said Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, security
and democracy.
Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI launched Grok's image tool
last summer. But the problem began snowballing only late last month when
Grok seemingly granted a large number of user requests to modify images
posted by others. The problem was amplified both because Musk pitches
his chatbot as an edgier alternative with fewer safeguards than rivals,
and because Grok’s responses on X are publicly visible, and can
therefore be easily spread.
[to top of second column] |
Elon Musk attends a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk,
Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP
Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
 The EU investigation covers only
Grok's service on X, and not Grok's website and standalone app.
That's because the DSA applies only to the biggest online platforms.
There’s no deadline for the bloc to resolve the case, which could
end in either X pledging to change its behavior or a hefty fine.
In December Brussels issued X with a 120-million euro (then-$140
million) fine as part of the earlier ongoing DSA investigation, for
shortcomings including blue checkmarks that broke the rules on
“deceptive design practices” that risked exposing users to scams and
manipulation.
The bloc has also been scrutinizing X over allegations that Grok
generated antisemitic material and has asked the site for more
information.
Malaysia and Indonesia blocked access to Grok earlier this month in
response to the controversy, becoming the first countries to do so.
On Friday, Malaysian authorities said they lifted the temporary
restriction after the company implemented additional security and
preventive measures, without giving further details. Malaysian
regulators said they met last week with X's representatives and
would continue to monitor the situation.
X is facing similar pressure in the United States
Last week, attorneys general in 35 states wrote a letter to the
company calling for it disclose its plans to prevent Grok from
creating nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images, and explain how
it will eliminate such existing content from the platform.
“We strongly urge you to be a leader in this space by further
addressing the harms resulting from this technology,” the attorneys
general wrote.
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AP writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report
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