"EU launches inquiry into X over sexually explicit images made by Grok AI", 26 January 2026

The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X over the production of sexually explicit images and the spreading of possible child sexual abuse material by the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok.

The formal inquiry, launched on Monday, also extends an investigation into X’s recommender systems, algorithms that help users discover new content...

The commission said its investigation would “assess whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks” stemming from Grok’s functionalities in the EU, including risks on the sharing of illegal content such as manipulated sexually explicit images and “content that may amount to” child sexual abuse material.

The investigation has been launched under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a relatively new piece of legislation that is intended to protect internet users from a wide range of harms.

Speaking to reporters, an official said the commission had not been convinced by mitigating measures put in place by X to remedy the issue.

After the initial outcry over the manipulated images, the company restricted access to the tool to paid subscribers, but changed tack under pressure from European regulators. It announced earlier this month that it had introduced measures to prevent Grok from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothes.

A commission official said the measures did not take away broader concerns about Grok. The investigation is looking at the systemic risks of the generation of illegal content, including content depicting violence against women and child sexual abuse material. X did not have “effective mitigating measures … to reduce the risk on their platform”, they said...

In response to [another] investigation, X provided a link to a statement it published on 14 January: “We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content.”...