LONDON (AP) \u2014 The European Union opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk\u2019s social media platform X on Monday after his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok spewed nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images on the platform. <\/p>\n
European regulators also widened a separate, ongoing investigation into X\u2019s recommendation systems after the platform said it would switch to Grok\u2019s AI system to choose which posts users see.<\/p>\n
The scrutiny from Brussels comes after Grok sparked a global backlash<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n The 27-nation EU\u2019s executive said it was looking into whether X has done enough as required by the bloc\u2019s digital regulations to contain the risks of spreading illegal content such as \u201cmanipulated sexually explicit images.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n AP AUDIO: European Union opens investigation into Musk\u2019s AI chatbot Grok over sexual deepfakes\n <\/p>\n AP correspondent Laurence Brooks reports on the EU investigating Elon Musk\u2019s X over deepfake images.<\/p>\n That includes content that \u201cmay amount to child sexual abuse material,\u201d the European Commission said. These risks have now \u201cmaterialized,\u201d the commission said, exposing the bloc\u2019s citizens to \u201cserious harm.\u201d <\/p>\n Regulators will examine whether Grok is living up to its obligations under the Digital Services Act, the bloc\u2019s wide-ranging rule book for keeping internet users safe from harmful content and products. <\/p>\n In response to a request for comment, an X spokeswoman directed The Associated Press to an earlier statement that the company remains \u201ccommitted to making X a safe platform for everyone\u201d and that it has \u201czero tolerance\u201d for child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content. <\/p>\n The X statement from Jan. 14 also said it would stop allowing<\/a> users to depict people in \u201cbikinis, underwear or other revealing attire,\u201d but only in places where it has been deemed illegal. <\/p>\n \u201cNon-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,\u201d Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the commission, said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cWith this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European citizens \u2014 including those of women and children – as collateral damage of its service,\u201d said Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, security and democracy.<\/p>\n Musk\u2019s artificial intelligence company xAI launched Grok\u2019s 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\u2019s responses on X are publicly visible, and can therefore be easily spread.<\/p>\n The EU investigation covers only Grok\u2019s service on X, and not Grok\u2019s website and standalone app. That\u2019s because the DSA applies only to the biggest online platforms. <\/p>\n There\u2019s no deadline for the bloc to resolve the case, which could end in either X pledging to change its behavior or a hefty fine. <\/p>\n In December Brussels issued X with a 120-million euro<\/a> (then-$140 million) fine as part of the earlier ongoing DSA investigation, for shortcomings including blue checkmarks that broke the rules<\/a> on \u201cdeceptive design practices\u201d that risked exposing users to scams and manipulation.<\/p>\n The bloc has also been scrutinizing X over allegations that Grok generated antisemitic material and has asked the site for more information. <\/p>\n