The European Commission opens a probe into risk assessment and recommender systems on the X platform.
The European Commission launched a formal investigation under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) into Elon Musk’s social media company X and its AI chatbot Grok, the commission announced in a press release. The investigation will assess whether X properly evaluated and mitigated risks associated with Grok’s deployment and whether the company’s recommender systems comply with EU legal obligations.
It specifically examines whether the integration of Grok into the X platform exposed users to unlawful content, including manipulated sexually explicit images or material that “may amount to child sexual abuse material,” and if X fulfilled its risk-mitigation duties under the DSA. The probe applies to X’s operations across all 27 EU member states.
In addition to this new investigation, the commission said it broadened an ongoing formal proceeding opened in December 2023 that looks at X’s recommender systems risk management, including the impact of a planned shift to a Grok-based recommendation model.
The DSA, which came into force to regulate large online platforms’ handling of harmful or illegal content, obliges companies to identify and address systemic risks to users and retain information for potential enforcement actions.
Henna Virkkunen, European Commission vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy, said in a statement: “Sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation.” She added that the investigation will determine whether X met its legal obligations under the DSA.
The investigation is at an early stage; the commission will gather evidence, which may include requests for information and inspections. It has the authority to impose fines of up to 6% of the company’s global annual turnover for serious DSA violations.
X previously stated that it restricted certain image editing functions of Grok and blocked some capabilities in jurisdictions where such content is illegal, and said it has a “zero tolerance” policy for child sexual exploitation and non-consensual content.
The DSA investigation follows global scrutiny of Grok’s capabilities and actions by regulatory authorities in the United Kingdom and other countries, reflecting concerns over harmful and illegal online content.
