The European Commission has said that videos of undressed women and children shared on the social network X Elon Musk are illegal and appalling, joining a growing number of officials around the world condemning the rise of unauthorized intimate content on the platform.
The backlash comes after reports, including from Reuters, that Grok - an embedded AI chatbot on X's network - was producing a large number of images on demand, including depictions of women and minors in extremely skimpy clothing, a feature that X previously called "spicy mode."
The European Commission, spokesman Thomas Rainier said, is "very aware" that X is offering such a regime.
"This is not 'spicy'. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. That's how we see it and it has no place in Europe," Renijer told reporters.
In Britain, regulator Ofcom has asked Network X to explain how Grok was able to generate images of undressed people and sexualized depictions of children, and whether the platform is thereby violating its legal obligation to protect users.
X did not respond to a request for comment regarding the statements of the European Commission and Ofcom.
In his last message to Reuters on the occasion, X stated: "Legacy Media Lies."
Online, Musk downplayed concerns about Grok's "undressing," posting laughing emojis in response to photos of public figures that had been edited to look like they were in bikinis.
Ofcom said it was aware of "serious concerns" about the feature.
"We have urgently contacted X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to meet their legal obligations to protect users in the UK," a spokesperson said.
It is illegal in the UK to create or share unauthorized intimate footage or child sexual abuse material, including hyper-realistic sexual depictions generated by artificial intelligence. In addition, technology platforms have an obligation to take measures to prevent British users from encountering illegal content, and to remove it when they become aware of it.
The statements by EU and British officials came after ministers in France reported Network X to prosecutors and regulators over the disturbing footage, saying in a statement on Friday that the "sexual and sexist" content was "clearly illegal." Officials in India have also demanded an explanation from Network X over what they said was obscene content.
The US federal government did not respond to requests for comment. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) declined to comment, and the Justice Department did not respond to an email.
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