The European Union has said it is “very seriously” examining complaints that Grok, an artificial intelligence tool developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is being used to generate and spread sexually explicit images resembling minors.
Speaking in Brussels on Monday, European Commission digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier said the reported content was illegal and unacceptable under EU law.
“Grok is now offering a so-called ‘spicy mode’ showing explicit sexual content, with some outputs generated using childlike images,” Mr Regnier told reporters. “This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling. This has no place in Europe.”
Concerns emerged after an image-editing feature was introduced to Grok in late December. The AI tool is available on Musk-owned social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following complaints from users, xAI said earlier this month that it was working to address flaws in the system.
The issue has also attracted the attention of French authorities. The Paris public prosecutor’s office has expanded an existing investigation into X to include allegations that Grok was being used to generate and distribute child sexual abuse material.
X has already faced regulatory action from the European Union. In December, the European Commission fined the platform €120 million for breaching EU digital rules on advertising transparency and user verification.
The company is also the subject of a broader investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act, which was launched in December 2023. As part of that probe, the commission has requested information from X regarding content related to the Holocaust.
