ByEuronews
Published on
The European Commission will today launch a formal investigation into Grok, X’s chatbot, after its image-editing function was widely used to virtually undress pictures of real women and underage girls without their consent, according to a report by German newspaper Handelsblatt.
The concerns emerged last summer after the platform’s built-in AI tool, Grok, was enhanced with a paid feature known as “Spicy Mode”, which allowed users to prompt it to create explicit content.
Earlier this month, as worldwide outrage at the feature grew, a Commission spokesman condemned this functionality in the strongest terms: “This is not ‘spicy’. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. This has no place in Europe.”
In response to the public anger and alarm, X eventually implemented “technological measures to prevent its AI tool, Grok, from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis” – with restrictions applying to all users, including paid subscribers.
X also said that sexualized Grok-altered images of children had been removed from the platform and that the users involved in creating them had been banned.
“We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary,” the X Safety account posted.
This is not the first time Grok has been under scrutiny for suspected breaches of European law. Last November, the AI chatbot generated Holocaust denial content.
Investigations into the platform’s chatbot are currently ongoing in France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as in Australia. Grok has been banned altogether in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Commission said it had sent a request for information under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and that it is still analyzing the response. If X is found guilty of breaching EU online platform rules under the Digital Services Act, the Commission could fine the company up to 6% of its global annual turnover.
Last December, the European Commission found Elon Musk’s social network €120 million over his account verification tick marks and advertising practices.