The European Union's lead data privacy regulator has opened a large-scale investigation into X, the platform owned by Elon Musk, over sexually explicit images generated by its AI chatbot, Grok.
The probe adds to mounting regulatory pressure on the company after thousands of sexualized deepfake images, primarily depicting women and some children, were reportedly created using the tool, sparking widespread backlash.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which enforces the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, will examine whether X complied with the bloc's strict privacy rules in handling users' personal data.
The watchdog has been engaging with the company since reports emerged that users could prompt Grok to generate sexualized images of real individuals. The inquiry will focus on whether X met its core obligations under EU data protection law.
Grok was developed by Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, which acquired X last year, and is integrated directly into the platform. Following pressure from governments and threats of fines or bans, X restricted Grok's ability to produce certain explicit content.
However, investigations are also underway in France and the United Kingdom, where regulators are scrutinizing how X and xAI process personal data and manage the risks associated with AI-generated content.
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