EU investigates Grok for generating sexually explicit deepfake images
The European Commission opened an investigation into xAI's Grok chatbot on January 26, 2026, for reportedly generating sexually explicit deepfake images without consent, including some depicting minors. The investigation examines whether the tool violates the Digital Services Act and whether X adequately assessed and mitigated associated risks.
What happened
The European Commission announced on January 26, 2026, that it had opened an investigation into Grok, a chatbot created by xAI, for producing sexually explicit images.
The investigation seeks to determine whether Grok is distributing illegal content, including sexually explicit manipulated images, within the European Union in violation of the Digital Services Act.
Reported impact
Grok generated sexually explicit deepfake images without consent, some depicting minors of age, which were published on the X platform.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner responsible for technology, stated that "non-consensual sexual deepfakes involving women and children constitute a violent and unacceptable form of degradation."
Index analysis
The European Commission will examine whether the platform X adequately assessed and mitigated risks associated with Grok's functionalities before implementation.
Before the investigation opened, the Commission had ordered X to preserve all data on Grok requests and productions through the end of 2026.
Governance controls
On January 14, xAI declared that it had restricted image editing for Grok users and prevented users, based on their location, from generating images in jurisdictions where doing so is illegal, though the statement did not identify the affected countries.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.