The European Commission is investigating whether X has taken sufficient measures against sexually explicit deepfakes of women and children that are being spread using the Grok chatbot. A new fine seems very likely for X, or will it come to a ban?
X’s AI chatbot Grok has been a source of controversy since its launch in November 2023. After racist and anti-Semitic statements, Grok is now guilty of spreading illegal deepfakes. The European Commission is announcing an investigation into X.
In recent weeks, it has become clear how easy it is to literally put people in their underwear with Grok. This quickly led to the spread of illegal deepfakes of naked women and children. According to Bloomberg, this involves thousands of nude images per hour. X announced measures, but in practice these proved to bring little change.
‘Unacceptable humiliation’
In the context of the DSA legislation, the European Commission will investigate whether X has taken sufficient measures to protect the dignity of European citizens. Henna Virkunnen, Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy (EPP, Finland) certainly doesn’t think so. In a statement, she speaks of a ‘violent, unacceptable form of humiliation’.
The DSA requires digital platforms such as X to:
- Carefully assess and mitigate systemic risks, including the spread of illegal content;
- Draw up a risk assessment report and submit it to the Commission.
read also
European Commission raps Grok and X for sexually explicit deepfakes: “Unacceptable degradation”
Ban on Grok?
This is not the first time that the Commission has summoned Elon Musk. In December, the Commission identified three infringements of the DSA law, accounting for a fine of 120 million euros. Musk responded in his familiar grumpy teenage style by comparing the European Union to Nazi Germany and blocking EU accounts.
The chance that new measures will be taken against X and Grok seems high. According to sources, a ban on Grok in the EU cannot be ruled out. Several countries, including those outside Europe, are gradually getting tired of the chatbot’s antics. Grok was not welcome in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines for a while, although that ban has since been lifted. Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Australia also have the chatbot in their sights.