The European Union has opened a formal probe into X after its Grok AI chatbot generated nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes, including images that researchers say appeared to involve minors. Regulators also expanded an existing investigation into X’s recommendation systems as the platform moves to use Grok to curate user feeds. The European Commission said it is examining potential breaches of the Digital Services Act, citing risks tied to manipulated sexually explicit content and possible child sexual abuse material, and warned of “serious harm” to EU citizens. X said it remains committed to platform safety and has “zero tolerance” for child sexual exploitation and nonconsensual nudity, while noting it would restrict depictions of people in revealing attire where illegal. The case, which has no set deadline, could result in behavioral commitments or significant fines. The action follows a prior EU penalty against X over deceptive design practices and comes amid broader scrutiny of Grok for generating offensive content. Malaysia and Indonesia temporarily blocked Grok over the controversy, with Malaysia later lifting its restriction after additional safeguards were implemented.
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