EU Probes X’s Grok Over Sexualized Deepfakes

27 Jan 2026 X is facing a formal probe from the European Commission over sexualized deepfakes produced by Grok, the image-generating feature of X’s AI chatbot. The Commission said it will assess whether X “properly assessed and mitigated risks” tied to Grok’s image capabilities in the EU, building on reporting by The New York Times and pressure from advocacy groups and lawmakers worldwide after Grok began complying with requests to create sexualized images of women and minors. X restricted image editing in public replies behind a paywall, but Grok remains able to generate images via its chatbot interface inside X. The inquiry will determine whether X violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) and extends a broader 2023 investigation into the platform to include Grok-powered recommendations. The EU has previously fined X $140 million in connection with that probe over deceptive verification practices. Henna Virkkunen, the EU executive vice president for tech sovereignty, called sexual deepfakes of women and children “a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,” and said the investigation will check whether X met its legal obligations or treated European rights as “collateral damage.” If found in breach of the DSA, X could face fines up to 6 percent of global annual revenue. Source