The European Union launches a formal investigation into Musk's X platform: Accusations of Grok AI generating "deepfake" images

The European Commission has launched a new formal investigation into X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, focusing on its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok's failure to effectively prevent the generation of deepfake content. This comes as another significant regulatory pressure on the platform following a €120 million fine imposed by the EU last December.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the European Commission announced on the 26th that it has initiated a new formal investigation against Musk's social media platform X under the Digital Services Act, focusing on the risks that its built-in AI chatbot "Grok" may pose.

The European Commission stated that it will closely examine whether the X platform has adequately assessed the risks associated with deploying Grok in the 27 EU countries and taken effective mitigation measures. EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen pointed out:

"Involuntary deepfake content targeting women and children is a violent and unacceptable form of insult."

This move may provoke new criticism from the United States. The Trump administration previously viewed the EU's regulatory actions against X as an attack on free speech. Before the EU issued the fine last December, U.S. Vice President JD Vance had posted on X, accusing the EU of supporting free speech rather than attacking American companies on improper grounds.

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

Global Regulatory Agencies Take Action

In recent weeks, Grok, Musk's AI assistant, has faced reports from users in multiple countries for generating and disseminating deepfake pornographic images on the X platform, leading to strong condemnation from regulatory agencies and child safety organizations. The UK's communications regulator has officially launched an investigation into whether X has violated the country's Online Safety Act, while relevant departments in France and India have also spoken out, accusing Grok of illegally producing pornographic content of others without consent.

Previously, Bloomberg reported that Grok had generated thousands of nude images per hour on the X platform, a phenomenon that has drawn the attention of regulatory agencies in multiple countries and prompted swift action.

The X platform responded by citing its policy statement, stating that the company actively deletes illegal content, including child sexual abuse materials, bans violating accounts, and collaborates with law enforcement as necessary. X emphasized its commitment to maintaining platform safety and holds a "zero tolerance" stance against child exploitation, involuntary nudity, and unauthorized pornographic content.

EU Intensifies Regulation of X Platform

This is the second major investigation initiated by the EU against the X platform under the framework of the Digital Services Act. Previously, in December, the EU had fined X €120 million (approximately $142 million) for misleading users with its paid blue verification system, restricting researchers' access to data, and failing to establish a compliant advertising database The Digital Services Act officially came into effect in 2023, establishing strict protective mechanisms against harmful and illegal online content. The act requires large online platforms to assess the systemic risks that may arise from their services, including the dissemination of illegal content, potential harm to minors, and the spread of false information, and to take corresponding mitigation measures