The European Commission initiated a new formal investigation against Elon Musk’s X under the Digital Services Act. This investigation focuses on X’s AI chatbot Grok, which generated sexualized deepfake images of women and minors. The Commission is also extending its existing investigation into X’s compliance with recommender systems risk management obligations.
The new investigation aims to evaluate whether X adequately assessed and mitigated risks associated with Grok’s functionalities in the EU. This includes examining the risks of disseminating illegal content, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, potentially including child sexual abuse material. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards such behavior in Europe.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, condemned sexual deepfakes as a violent and unacceptable form of degradation towards women and children. The investigation will determine if X fulfilled its legal obligations under the DSA or disregarded the rights of European citizens, particularly women and children, in providing its service.
Furthermore, the Commission will scrutinize whether X adheres to its DSA obligations in diligently assessing and mitigating systemic risks. This includes evaluating the impact of illegal content dissemination, gender-based violence, and negative effects on physical and mental well-being resulting from Grok’s functionalities on X’s platform. Additionally, the Commission will request an ad hoc risk assessment report for Grok’s functionalities before their deployment on X’s service.
In a separate development, the Commission extended its ongoing formal proceedings against X to ensure proper assessment and mitigation of systemic risks related to its recommender systems. The investigation will focus on potential infringements of specific articles of the DSA. The Commission stressed that these proceedings do not predetermine the final outcome and will conduct an in-depth investigation promptly.
