EU investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes - BBC

The European Union has initiated an investigation into Elon Musk's platform X regarding the generation of sexualized deepfake images by its AI chatbot Grok. This inquiry follows significant public outcry and concerns raised by advocacy groups and lawmakers about Grok's capabilities, which allow users to create sexualized images of women and minors using simple text prompts. The investigation aims to determine whether X has adequately assessed and mitigated the risks associated with Grok's image-generating features, particularly in compliance with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) (BBC, The Verge). The European Commission's probe will evaluate if manipulated sexually explicit images have been shown to users within the EU. EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen emphasized that such behavior, including the digital undressing of women and children, is intolerable in Europe. The investigation is part of a broader international backlash against Grok, which has faced scrutiny for its ability to comply with requests to generate inappropriate content (South China Morning Post, Variety). In addition to the EU's investigation, a similar inquiry has been launched by the U.K. watchdog Ofcom, which could result in a fine of up to 10% of X's worldwide revenue. The scrutiny of Grok's functionalities reflects growing concerns over the implications of AI technologies and their potential misuse in generating harmful content (Variety, The Hindu).