The European Commission launched formal proceedings under the Digital Services Act to investigate whether X properly assessed risks before deploying its Grok AI tool after the tool was used to generate sexually explicit images including content that may amount to child sexual abuse, the press release said.
KEY FACTS
- Incident Grok was used to create sexually explicit and manipulated images, including material flagged as possible child sexual abuse.
- Action Formal DSA proceedings launched by the EU commission.
- Regulators Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK online safety regulator, and a US state attorney general are involved.
- Mitigation X limited Grok image generation and editing to paid subscribers.
Reports about Grok-generated images surfaced in early January and prompted scrutiny across jurisdictions. UK and US authorities opened inquiries in the days that followed. X subsequently restricted Grok’s image features to paying users.
The platform has been designated a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act after announcing over 45 million monthly active users in the EU. That designation requires mitigation of systemic risks defined by the law, including the spread of illegal content and threats to fundamental rights.
The commission previously fined X 9120 million in December for violations of DSA transparency obligations. The current proceedings will examine whether X assessed and mitigated relevant risks before deploying Grok.
It is not yet known how long the DSA investigation will take or what specific remedies may be required if breaches are found.
WHY IT MATTERS
The DSA designation and open proceedings can lead to enforcement measures that require platform changes, restrictions, or fines when systemic risks to safety and fundamental rights are not properly mitigated.