EU warns X after Grok shares sexualized children's images
The European Union is stepping up its investigation into X over sexually explicit AI-generated images of children shared on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.
The European Commission announced that it has instructed the US company to preserve internal documents related to its artificial intelligence chatbot called Grok, CE Report quotes MIA.
X was told to retain the material at least until the end of the year, a commission spokesman said, adding that the move reflects concerns over whether the company is complying with Europe's tech regulations.
Users of X can prompt Grok to generate sexually suggestive images, with numerous examples circulating in which the chatbot is asked to sexualize otherwise ordinary images of women and girls. In many cases, Grok complies with the requests.
The company apologized last week for Grok generating and sharing an image depicting two teenage girls in “sexualized outfits,” calling the incident a failure of its safety safeguards. The chatbot has also drawn criticism for generating content praising Adolf Hitler.
"We have witnessed Grok generating anti-Semitic content, and more recently, sexual imagery of children. This is illegal. This is unacceptable," the spokesman said.
The commission requested information from X regarding Grok at the end of last year and recently received a response, which is now under review.
The EU is not seeking to force the shutdown of Grok within the bloc, the spokesman said, describing such a step as a last resort.
Several investigations and proceedings are already underway against X under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).
In early December, the EU fined the platform €120 million ($140 million) for transparency failures. Additional penalties could follow, as EU regulators have also been examining the company since December 2023 over concerns that it is not doing enough to combat illegal content and disinformation.
Trans-Atlantic tensions over EU digital laws
The EU's enforcement of its digital rules has increasingly strained relations with the United States.
Critics within Europe have long accused Brussels of uneven enforcement, while US President Donald Trump’s administration has argued the bloc’s rules amount to censorship of major US technology companies.
In late December, Washington imposed entry bans on former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and several other Europeans in response to EU actions. Breton is considered one of the architects of the Digital Services Act.
The measures were widely seen as a warning to the European Commission against further measures targeting US firms.
Commission defends continued use of X
Top EU officials continue to use X even as they criticize the company's practices.
The commission has defended its presence on the platform, saying it monitors where its target audience is most active and seeks to communicate its messages effectively, while also working to diversify its online presence across other social media platforms.
Photo: dpa
