Governments and regulators across Europe, Asia and Oceania are intensifying scrutiny of Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI and embedded in X, over its role in generating sexually explicit deepfake images. Authorities have launched investigations, imposed access blocks and demanded stronger safeguards in a growing global push to curb illegal and harmful AI-generated content.
In Europe, the European Commission has extended an order requiring X to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026, citing concerns over sexually explicit “undressed” images. Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into whether Grok-generated deepfakes breach the country’s Online Safety Act. France has referred sexually explicit Grok content to prosecutors and alerted media regulator Arcom to assess compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act.
Germany’s media minister Wolfram Weimer has urged EU authorities to take legal action, warning that the phenomenon risks becoming an “industrialisation of sexual harassment.” Italy’s data protection authority has cautioned that creating non-consensual “undressed” deepfake images could constitute serious privacy violations and criminal offences. Swedish political leaders have also condemned Grok-generated sexualised imagery after content involving the country’s deputy prime minister was reportedly produced from a user prompt.
In Asia, India’s IT Ministry sent a formal notice to X on January 2, ordering the removal of obscene content and demanding a report on remedial actions within 72 hours. Indonesia has blocked access to Grok entirely, with Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid citing the need to protect women and children under the country’s strict anti-pornography laws. Malaysia’s communications regulator has said it plans to pursue legal action against X over user safety concerns linked to Grok.
In Oceania, Australia’s online safety regulator eSafety said it is investigating sexually explicit deepfake images generated by Grok, assessing adult material under its image-based abuse framework.
In response, xAI has restricted Grok’s image generation and editing tools to paying subscribers only. X has said it removes illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, permanently suspends offending accounts, and cooperates with law enforcement. Elon Musk has stated that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as users who upload such material directly.
