LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION has initiated proceedings against Elon Musk’s social media site X over the production of nonconsensual sexualised images of people, including children, by the company’s AI chatbot Grok. 

Users on Musk’s social media site X have been able to create AI-edited versions of images of real people on the platform by requesting them from Grok. 

Research published last week by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate showed that Grok generated an estimated three million sexualised images of women and children in a matter of days. 

The scandal has led to calls for the platform to be investigated in multiple countries and a number of government ministers in Ireland have now deleted their accounts.

“In Europe, we will not tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children,” said European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

“It is simple – we will not hand over consent and child protection to tech companies to violate and monetise. The harm caused by illegal images is very real,” she said in a statement to AFP.

EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen said the probe would “determine whether X has met its legal obligations” under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which is designed to police internet giants.

She said the rights of women and children in the EU should not be “collateral damage” of X’s services.

Brussels said it was investigating whether X had properly mitigated “risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material”.

Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty welcomed the opening of a formal investigation. 

“When credible reports emerge of AI systems being used in ways that harm women and children, it is essential that EU law is examined and enforced without delay,” Doherty said. 

“This case raises very serious questions about whether platforms are meeting their legal obligations to assess risks properly and to prevent illegal and harmful content from spreading.”

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She stressed that the investigation must lead to real action.

“No company operating in the EU is above the law.”

She also warned that the situation exposes wider weaknesses in how emerging AI technologies are regulated and enforced, calling for further action at EU level.

“This case underlines why the AI Act must remain a living piece of legislation. If gaps in enforcement or oversight become clear, then it is our responsibility to address them. EU laws must be enforceable in real time when serious harms occur.”

The Commission had intended to initiate the proceedings under the EU’s Digital Services Act last Monday, German news outlet Handelsblatt reported, but that decision was delayed as the bloc scrambled to respond to US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.