The European Union has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot and its “spicy mode” after it generated AI photos of minors “in sexualized attire based on a user’s prompt.” The images sparked public outcry and prompted the chatbot to say it may have violated U.S. laws.
The scandal initially led Musk to restrict access to the tool for subscribers. However, the company later changed course, blocking all users from using Grok to create images of people in revealing clothing.
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Europe’s investigation
The EU is now investigating Musk’s response to determine whether the tech platform “properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok’s functionalities into X in the EU.”
In a press release, the executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy in the EU called out the images.
“Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,” said Henna Virkkunen. “With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations… or whether it treated rights of European citizens – including those of women and children – as collateral damage of its service.”
If the EU finds that Grok breached its rules, the company could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, BBC reports.
Meanwhile, Musk shared a post on X on Monday that appeared to make light of the situation.
What led to this
Even before “spicy mode” was used to generate images of minors, it had faced complaints over its widespread use to create photos of real women undressed without their consent.
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, the X account for Grok issued an apology for the images of minors, saying, “This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM. It was a failure in safeguards, and I’m sorry for any harm caused.”
However, the company did not initially say whether it would limit Grok’s ability to undress women and minors.
According to the BBC, officials in Australia, France and Germany are also conducting investigations into the chatbot. It was also temporarily banned in Indonesia and Malaysia, though Malaysia has since lifted the ban.
