January 13, 2026, 8:16 AM EST. Since January, thousands of women and teenagers have reported that photos shared online were undressed or placed in bikinis by Grok at users' requests. The deepfake tool has triggered regulatory probes across Europe, including Brussels, Dublin, Paris and London. The European Commission ordered X to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok, calling the nonconsensual, sexually explicit deepfakes illegal, appalling and disgusting. In response, X restricted the AI image feature to paid subscribers, though Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said that does not end the investigation. The episode tests the EU's resolve to rein in Musk and U.S. big tech after Brussels fined X €120 million under the DSA. X did not immediately respond to POLITICO's request for comment about von der Leyen's criticism.
