- Elon Musk
By SCM Tech Reporter Monday, 26 January 2026
TECH tycoon Elon Musk is facing a massive legal headache after the European Union launched a formal investigation into his AI chatbot, Grok and deepfakes.
The probe focuses on claims that the “rebellious” AI tool has been used to churn out “unthinkable” sexualized and illegal imagery—including deepfakes that target women and children.
Brussels bosses are fuming over allegations that the chatbot, which is built into the social media platform X, was used to “digitally undress” people through simple text prompts.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen warned that the rights of citizens would not be treated as “collateral damage” by Musk’s Silicon Valley empire.
The ‘Dirty’ Details
The investigation, launched under the powerful Digital Services Act (DSA), will examine whether Musk’s firm failed to put enough “safety brakes” on the AI before unleashing it on the public.
Specific concerns include:
Illegal Content: The creation of non-consensual sexual images.
Child Safety: Allegations that the AI generated material that could amount to child abuse imagery.
Algorithm Risks: Whether X’s new Grok-based recommendation system is pushing harmful content to users.
If found guilty of breaching the tough new rules, Musk could be slapped with a staggering fine of up to 6% of X’s global annual revenue.
Background: The War Between Musk and Brussels
This isn’t the first time the billionaire has locked horns with the EU. Just last month, X was walloped with a €120 million (£100m) fine for deceiving users over “blue tick” verification and blocking researchers.
Musk previously branded the EU’s actions as “insane,” but regulators show no sign of backing down.
While X recently claimed to have added stricter filters to stop Grok from making “naughty” pictures, European officials say the damage has already been done.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) recently claimed that Grok generated an estimated three million sexualized images of women and children in just a matter of days before some restrictions were tightened.
