French cybercrime authorities, working with Europol, raided the offices of the X platform in Paris and have summoned Elon Musk for questioning as part of an expanded investigation into the Grok AI chatbot and algorithms linked to pornographic images and genocide denial content. Musk responded by calling the investigation a political attack,.
The Paris prosecutor's office revealed that on Tuesday, 3 Feb 2025 GMT+7, cybercrime officers, supported by Europol, searched the X platform's Paris offices as part of an investigation that began in January 2025.
Additionally, prosecutors have issued summonses for Elon Musk, chairman of the board, and Linda Yaccarino, former CEO, to appear as witnesses and persons involved in April. Meanwhile, X employees in France will also be questioned as witnesses.
Laur Beccuau, Paris prosecutor, said the initial investigation focused on suspected misuse of algorithms but has since expanded to more serious issues, including the use of the AI chatbot "Grok" to create sexually explicit manipulated images, allowing dissemination of content distorting history with genocide denial, examining possible complicity or negligence in possession and distribution of child pornography, and violations of personal image rights.
X's Global Government Affairs team issued a statement denying all allegations, calling them baseless and affirming X's commitment to protecting users' fundamental rights. Elon Musk posted on the X platform calling the incident a "political attack." Previously, the company described the French investigation as a threat to freedom of expression.
This move follows the European Commission's review of Grok amid heavy criticism that it can generate nude images of real people, including children and women, at users' command. Although X imposed additional restrictions in mid-January, a report from the nonprofit AI Forensics stated that as of 20 January, the system could still be tricked into producing sexually explicit images.
Emma Pickering from the UK-based Refuge organization warned, "Generative AI makes it easier for bad actors to create fake images that threaten women's safety and mental health." Recently, the UK's data regulator also launched an investigation into this issue.
Besides France and Europe, Indonesia and Malaysia temporarily suspended access to Grok in late January before lifting the bans after X promised to implement strict measures to prevent misuse.
. CNN