Brussels – Controversy continues on X and the ‘spicy’ mode of Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk’s social network. The European Commission has called “disgusting” the recent cases in which Grok virtually undresses women and minors at users’ request, warning that such content “has no place in Europe.” Friction between Musk and Brussels is mounting, and investigations into violations of European law are piling up. Today (8 January), the liberal group (Renew) in the European Parliament sent a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, asking her to stop procrastinating and “take immediate action.”
The Grok Spicy programme was launched last August, initially accessible with a monthly subscription, and allows users to rework a video or image generated by the model to add elements of nudity. At the end of December, the ability to edit images with the generative artificial intelligence tool was introduced directly on the X platform. Grok “was recently used to produce suggestive images of minors, including a 14-year-old actress,” Renew said. Examining the issue – as stated by the European Commission – is not enough: according to MEP Veronika Cifrová, “Nudifiers and AI-generated child pornography should be banned in Europe. Full stop.”
The European Commission’s spokesperson for digital affairs, Thomas Regnier, summarised the situation at the beginning of the week: in November, the EU executive sent a request for information to the American tech giant. “I can confirm that it responded during the December break, and we are now analysing the information received,” he explained. According to the Digital Services Act, Brussels could initiate formal proceedings for failure to mitigate risks and protect minors. Not only that, but “it also has the power to temporarily suspend Grok while the investigation is conducted,” Renew adds.
Musk’s social network has been in the EU’s sights for some time. In December, Brussels fined the platform 120 million euros (140 million dollars) for violating advertising transparency rules and for its user verification methods. There is also an ongoing investigation under the Digital Services Act launched in December 2023.
Regnier himself recalled the precedents: “I think X is very well aware that we’re very serious about the Digital Services Act. They will remember the fine they received from us back in December. So we encourage all companies to be compliant because the Commission is serious about enforcement,” he concluded. In the European Parliament, however, the liberal family is calling for a change of pace: “We must put an end to the idea that whatever is done online escapes the grasp of the law. We are not powerless — but we seem to choose to be,” Cifrová insisted.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
