The European Commission has launched a new formal investigation into X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, focusing on its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok's failure to effectively prevent the generation of deepfake content. This comes as another significant regulatory pressure on the platform following a €120 million fine imposed by the EU last December.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the European Commission announced on the 26th that it has initiated a new formal investigation against Musk's social media platform X under the Digital Services Act, focusing on the risks that its built-in AI chatbot &#34;Grok&#34; may pose.
The European Commission stated that it will closely examine whether the X platform has adequately assessed the risks associated with deploying Grok in the 27 EU countries and taken effective mitigation measures. EU Commissioner for Technology Henna Virkkunen pointed out:
<blockquote>
&#34;Involuntary deepfake content targeting women and children is a violent and unacceptable form of insult.&#34;
</blockquote>
This move may provoke new criticism from the United States. The Trump administration previously viewed the EU's regulatory actions against X as an attack on free speech. Before the EU issued the fine last December, U.S. Vice President JD Vance had posted on X, accusing the EU of supporting free speech rather than attacking American companies on improper grounds.
Under the Digital Services Act, if online platforms fail to effectively address illegal content and misinformation or violate transparency obligations, the EU can impose fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
<h2>Global Regulatory Agencies Take Action</h2>
In recent weeks, Grok, Musk's AI assistant, has faced reports from users in multiple countries for generating and disseminating deepfake pornographic images on the X platform, leading to strong condemnation from regulatory agencies and child safety organizations. The UK's communications regulator has officially launched an investigation into whether X has violated the country's Online Safety Act, while relevant departments in France and India have also spoken out, accusing Grok of illegally producing pornographic content of others without consent.
Previously, Bloomberg reported that Grok had generated thousands of nude images per hour on the X platform, a phenomenon that has drawn the attention of regulatory agencies in multiple countries and prompted swift action.
The X platform responded by citing its policy statement, stating that the company actively deletes illegal content, including child sexual abuse materials, bans violating accounts, and collaborates with law enforcement as necessary. X emphasized its commitment to maintaining platform safety and holds a &#34;zero tolerance&#34; stance against child exploitation, involuntary nudity, and unauthorized pornographic content.
<h2>EU Intensifies Regulation of X Platform</h2>
This is the second major investigation initiated by the EU against the X platform under the framework of the Digital Services Act. Previously, in December, the EU had fined X €120 million (approximately $142 million) for misleading users with its paid blue verification system, restricting researchers' access to data, and failing to establish a compliant advertising database
The Digital Services Act officially came into effect in 2023, establishing strict protective mechanisms against harmful and illegal online content. The act requires large online platforms to assess the systemic risks that may arise from their services, including the dissemination of illegal content, potential harm to minors, and the spread of false information, and to take corresponding mitigation measures

TSLA

GXAI

On the 26th, the European Commission announced the launch of a new formal investigation into the social media platform X, owned by Musk, under the Digital Services Act. The core accusation is that its AI chatbot Grok failed to prevent the generation of deepfake content, particularly illegal images targeting women and children. This comes as another significant regulatory pressure following the €120 million fine imposed on X last December. The investigation will assess whether X adequately evaluated and mitigated the risks associated with Grok's deployment, and if found in violation, the platform could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue

- The European Commission has launched a new formal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X regarding its AI chatbot Grok's failure to effectively prevent deepfake content generation.  
- This investigation, announced on January 26, follows a €120 million fine imposed on X in December for prior regulatory violations under the Digital Services Act.  
- The Commission will assess whether X adequately evaluated the risks posed by Grok's deployment across EU member states and took appropriate mitigation measures.

Wallstreetcn

The European Union launches a formal investigation into Musk's X platform: Accusations of Grok AI generating "deepfake" images