EU opens investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery, lawmaker says

By Foo Yun Chee and Sam Tabahriti BRUSSELS/LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok over the production of explicit imagery, Regina Doherty, a member of the European parliament representing Ireland, said in a statement on Monday. The investigation will assess whether X has complied with its obligations under EU digital legislation, including requirements relating to risk mitigation, content governance, and the protection of fundamental rights, the lawmaker said. The investigation risks antagonising the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as a European Union crackdown on Big Tech has triggered criticism and even the threat of tariffs from the United States. A Commission spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked to confirm if an investigation had been opened. X did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Monday. "This case raises very serious questions about whether platforms are meeting their legal obligations to assess risks properly and to prevent illegal and harmful content from spreading," Doherty said in an emailed statement. The Commission said earlier this month that the AI-generated images of undressed women and children being shared on X were unlawful and appalling, joining condemnation across the world. xAI, the artificial intelligence company owned by Musk, said, said in mid-January it had implemented tweaks to prevent the Grok account "from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis". xAI also said at the time that it had blocked users, based on their location, from generating images of people in revealing clothing in "jurisdictions where it's illegal". It did not identify those jurisdictions. Doherty said the images had exposed wider weaknesses in how emerging AI technologies are regulated and enforced. "The European Union has clear rules to protect people online. Those rules must mean something in practice, especially when powerful technologies are deployed at scale. No company operating in the EU is above the law," she added. Britain's media regulator Ofcom launched its own separate investigation earlier this month into whether X has complied with its duties under the UK's Online Safety Act. (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by William James and Alexander Smith)

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