The European Commission has opened a probe into Grok, the artificial intelligence tool linked to social media platform X, over concerns about its handling of sexually explicit imagery, including possible child sexual abuse material.
The move comes after widespread criticism regarding the circulation of sexually altered images online, including images involving children, reports RTE.
The investigation is being conducted under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
“Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,” said EU Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkunen, reports RTE.
“With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European citizens – including those of women and children – as collateral damage of its service.”
The Commission said it is working closely with media regulator Coimisiún na Meán, as X’s European headquarters are based in Ireland, reports RTE.
In a statement, Coimisiún na Meán said it welcomed the launch of a formal investigation “following our intensive engagement with the European Commission on this issue in recent weeks”.
The statement continued: “European and Irish law puts clear responsibilities on online platforms relating to illegal content and legislation is underpinned by a pan-European system of regulatory enforcement overseen by the European Commission and national regulators. We are ready to play our part in the investigation, reports RTE.
“Our contact centre is available to provide advice and support to people who are concerned about what they encounter online and the information we receive from people helps us to do our job of holding platforms to account. There is no place in our society for non-consensual intimate imagery abuse or child sexual abuse material.”
The Commission said X is required under the DSA to carry out comprehensive risk assessments concerning illegal content on its platform, adding that the company failed to include any such assessment relating to Grok, reports RTE.
“When you look at the risk assessment reports that X has to publish and submit to the Commission under the DSA, this is an obligation,” said Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
“These are publicly accessible. You can see them. There is one truth: [that] is that Grok is nowhere in these risk assessment reports. What does this mean? It means that X has simply not assessed the risk that Grok or the Grok features integrated into X [that] are posing to our citizens in the EU, reports RTE.
“This is already a fundamental issue in that we expect companies to mitigate risks stemming from their services and to make sure that they get their house in order, which doesn’t seem to be the case here.”
In a statement, the Commission said risks had “materialised”, resulting in EU citizens being exposed to serious harm, reports RTE.
The Commission said that under the DSA, Elon Musk’s company was required to properly assess and reduce systemic risks, “including of the dissemination of illegal content, negative effects in relation to gender-based violence, and serious negative consequences to physical and mental well-being stemming from deployments of Grok’s functionalities into its platform”.
Separately, the Commission expanded an investigation into X that began in December 2023, focusing on the platform’s so-called “recommender” systems, reports RTE.
These systems use algorithms to suggest products and content to users by analysing browsing behaviour, preferences and data.
The probe is examining whether X adequately assessed and mitigated all systemic risks linked to its recommender systems, including the impact of its recent transition to a Grok-based recommender system, reports RTE.
The Commission said: “In preparing for this investigation, the Commission has closely collaborated with Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish Digital Services Coordinator. Further, Coimisiún na Meán will be associated to this investigation, pursuant to Article 66(3), as the national Digital Services Coordinator in the country of establishment in the EU.”
The Commission said it will issue additional requests for information to X and may also carry out interviews or inspections at the company, reports RTE.
Under the DSA, opening formal proceedings gives the Commission authority to pursue further enforcement actions, including potentially finding X in breach of the rules.
Grok is an AI tool developed by X and since 2024 has been used on the platform to generate text and images, as well as provide contextual information on user posts, reports RTE.
Under the DSA, X has been classified as a very large online platform (VLOP), meaning it is required to “assess and mitigate any potential systemic risks related to its services in the EU”, according to a Commission note.
These risks include the spread of illegal content and possible threats to fundamental rights, particularly those affecting minors, arising from the platform and its features, reports RTE.
In December, the European Commission fined X €120m over the use of deceptive design practices, insufficient advertising transparency and limited data access for researchers, all obligations under the DSA.
EU officials noted that national regulators and law enforcement agencies also have responsibilities in addressing the spread of illegal and non-consensual imagery, reports RTE.
“We establish a case that gives us the context that this is really systemic,” said a senior EU official.
Officials said Grok has been monitored for some time following a rise in anti-semitic content linked to the AI tool on X last autumn, reports RTE.
Technical experts at the EU’s Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT) in Seville were also involved in observing Grok’s activity.
Following this, the Commission requested details on the risk assessments X was conducting regarding Grok, urging the platform to introduce changes, reports RTE.
“In the last ten days [we had] indeed a very intense interaction with X. It’s a company: they decide what they decide, but I daresay that without our interaction, probably none of these kinds of changes that they have done would have appeared.”
However, officials said that despite some steps being taken, X had still failed to sufficiently address the “systemic” risks, noting that the company appears to treat Grok as a separate entity, reports RTE.
Officials said they have maintained close contact with X’s compliance officers, describing them as “cooperative” and forthcoming with information.
After the fine imposed on X at the end of 2025, the company was given three months to pay the penalty, reports RTE.
Regina Doherty, an Irish member of the European Parliament, said in a statement that she welcomed the Commission’s decision to launch 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,” Ms Doherty said, reports RTE.
Ms Doherty said the images had highlighted broader weaknesses in how emerging AI technologies are regulated and enforced.
“The European Union has clear rules to protect people online. Those rules must mean something in practice, especially when powerful technologies are deployed at scale. No company operating in the EU is above the law,” she added, reports RTE.
Another Fine Gael MEP, Maria Walsh, said the European Commission should immediately suspend the use of Grok within the EU while the investigation is ongoing, reports RTE.
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