EU probes Elon Musk’s X over AI tools used to create sexual deepfakes

The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, following concerns that its artificial intelligence tool, Grok, has been used to generate sexualized images of real people.

If X is found to have violated the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the company could face fines of up to 6% of its total annual global revenue. The move follows a similar inquiry initiated by the British regulator Ofcom in January.

The Commission stated it could impose temporary measures against X if the platform does not make the required adjustments to its AI systems. This latest probe also expands an ongoing investigation into risks associated with X’s recommendation algorithms, which began in December 2023.

In a previous statement, X said it has implemented blocks to prevent Grok from modifying images to remove people’s clothing in jurisdictions where such content is prohibited.

Elon Musk responded to the news with a post that appeared to mock the new restrictions. He has long been a critic of government oversight, previously calling regulatory efforts a "pretext for censorship."

The ongoing confrontation between X and the European Union is far more than an isolated legal dispute; it represents a pivotal litmus test for the Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s landmark regulatory framework. As one of the world’s most comprehensive sets of technology rules, the outcome of this investigation will set a definitive precedent for the ability of sovereign regulators to curb the influence of Big Tech, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of generative artificial intelligence.

At the heart of the matter is a fundamental disconnect: the velocity of product deployment has dramatically outpaced the implementation of user safeguards. Tech firms are currently locked in a competitive arms race to launch AI tools, often bypassing rigorous risk assessments regarding potential misuse, such as the proliferation of deepfakes. Elon Musk’s combative rhetoric, which frames these regulations as "censorship," has placed him on a direct collision course with Brussels officials. With the EU empowered to levy fines of up to 6% of a company’s total global annual turnover, the threat to X’s bottom line is substantial and legally enforceable.

Musk’s defiant posture stands in sharp contrast to the more conciliatory, "cooperative engagement" strategies adopted by rivals such as Meta and Google when facing regulatory scrutiny. By anchoring their investigation in a high-stakes, socially sensitive issue like non-consensual sexual deepfakes, EU regulators are building a potent case to demonstrate both the necessity and the enforcement efficacy of the DSA in the modern digital age.