Grok faces more scrutiny over deepfakes as Irish regulator opens EU privacy investigation
Ireland's Data Protection Commission launches a large-scale GDPR probe into X's AI chatbot Grok for generating nonconsensual sexualized deepfake images, including those depicting children.
- On February 17, 2026, Ireland's Data Protection Commission opened a formal investigation into X's AI chatbot Grok over personal data processing and potential sexualised images of children, notifying X on Monday.
- After media reports earlier this month, X's image-editing tool Grok was used to digitally undress images of women and children and flooded X last month with AI-altered, near-nude images, drawing further regulatory attention despite curbs.
- The probe was opened under section 110 of the Data Protection Act 2018, with Mr Doyle stating, 'As the Lead Supervisory Authority for XIUC across the EU/EEA, the DPC has commenced a large-scale inquiry which will examine XIUC's compliance with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand.'
- Regulators say investigations will continue for several months, and X could face fines of up to 4% of global annual turnover or 20 million euros if found in breach.
- With Brussels and London already investigating, Ireland's Data Protection Commission leads as the EU regulator, amid French raids and UK inquiries into X's Grok AI.
164 Articles
164 Articles
Grok AI fakes are a digital assault. Make it a crime. (Opinion)
By Noah Feldman The horrifying episode in which Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot generated and posted millions of sexualized images of real people, including women and children, has a clear lesson: It should be illegal to use anyone’s photograph to create a fake image intended to depict that person. Last summer, Congress passed the Take It Down Act, which prohibits posting deep fakes that depict people engaged in intimate sexual acts. Now Congress shoul…
AI fakes should be a crime
The horrifying episode in which Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot generated and posted millions of sexualized images of real people, including women and children, has a clear lesson: It should be illegal to use anyone’s photograph to create a fake image…
Ireland watchdog opens probe into sexual AI imagery from Grok chatbot
Ireland’s data protection watchdog has launched a probe into Elon Musk’s social media platform X over AI chatbot Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images, the latest step of an international backlash against the tool.
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