Key Points:
- Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is investigating X’s chatbot, Grok.
- The probe focuses on the creation of sexualized AI images.
- The regulator can fine X up to 4% of its global revenue.
- The European Commission and the UK are also probing the AI.
Ireland’s top data privacy watchdog has launched a formal investigation into Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. The probe, announced on Tuesday, will examine how the AI processes personal data and its ability to create harmful, sexualized images of real people, including children.
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is the lead regulator for X in the European Union because the company’s European headquarters is in Ireland. This position gives the DPC serious power. If it finds that X violated the bloc’s strict data privacy laws (known as GDPR), it can impose a fine of up to 4% of the company’s global revenue.
The investigation follows a global scandal last month. Users discovered that Grok could be prompted to generate near-nude, AI-altered images of people. The incident triggered widespread outrage and calls for regulation. While X announced it would take steps to stop this from happening, a Reuters report earlier this month found the chatbot was still creating these images.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle confirmed that the DPC has been talking with X since the problem first appeared. He stated that this new “large-scale inquiry” will determine if the company has met its “fundamental obligations” under the law.
The Irish investigation is not the only legal trouble X is facing. The European Commission opened its own probe on January 26 to see if Grok is spreading illegal content in the EU. Britain’s privacy watchdog also launched a formal investigation on February 3.
This legal pressure comes amid tension between the U.S. and Europe over tech regulation. President Donald Trump has criticized EU rules as a form of taxation on American companies. Musk himself has also voiced his objections to European content moderation laws. For now, the future of Grok in Europe hangs in the balance as regulators from multiple countries examine its behavior.
