After receiving a huge fine of 120 million euros last December, Elon Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter) has once again been taken to court by the EU. Today, the European Commission announced the start of a new formal investigation into the platform, and this time the core issue is its built-in artificial intelligence robot, Grok.
Regulatory Storm Returns: Is Grok a "Deepfake Machine"?
The focus of this investigation is whether the X platform has failed to effectively fulfill its regulatory obligations to prevent Grok from generating deepfake content.
Joint Opposition from Multiple Countries: In recent weeks, Grok has sparked global outrage due to its suspected generation and spread of deepfake pornographic images, with relevant regulatory authorities in the UK, France, and India taking substantial actions respectively.
Asia and North America Unite: It's not just Europe. The Japanese government previously also demanded Elon Musk to make adjustments over indecent images, while California authorities in the United States have launched a thorough investigation into Grok's alleged "one-click undressing" feature.
Elon Musk's Response: Can Proactive "Firefighting" Work?
Facing multiple attacks, the X platform's response seems quite busy.
Banning and Deletion: The platform claims it has taken measures to proactively delete illegal content, ban violating accounts, and is working closely with law enforcement agencies to try to stop the further spread of pornographic images.
Increased Compliance Pressure: According to the EU's Digital Services Act, which came into effect in 2023, large online platforms must systematically assess and mitigate the risks posed by their services. If found in violation, the X platform could face a massive fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
Topic Tracking: Elon Musk's AI's "Black January"
Since the beginning of this year, Grok has almost become a regular on the regulatory list:
January 10: Indonesia temporarily banned Grok service due to issues involving pornographic images.
January 12: Due to the generation of pornographic content, Grok faced the risk of being banned in multiple countries worldwide.
January 26: The EU formally intervened, elevating the investigation to the level of a "formal investigation."
