The European Commission should immediately suspend the use of Grok within the EU while it conducts a formal investigation into the platform, MEP Maria Walsh has said.
The Commission has opened proceedings under the Digital Services Act (DSA), after X’s AI chatbot Grok has been used to create sexual deepfake images of women and girls, including children.
MEP Walsh first raised the alarm about the dangers posed by deepfake technology almost two years ago and has consistently campaigned for stronger EU and national laws, as well as tougher penalties for those who create and share sexually explicit AI content.
MEP Walsh is now calling on the Commission to take precautionary action by immediately suspending Grok in the EU while the investigation is ongoing.
MEP Maria Walsh, a full member of the European Parliament’s Gender Equality Committee, said:
“Grok is still being used to create sexual images of women and girls without their consent – despite widespread public uproar. A recent report suggests that the vast majority of images generated by users on Grok continue to depict nudity or sexualised content, which raises fundamental questions about whether this platform is fit to operate at all.
“I welcome the European Commission’s decision to launch a formal investigation under the Digital Services Act, but an investigation alone is not enough. When there is a clear and ongoing risk to women, girls and children, the precautionary principle must apply. I strongly believe that the use of X’s chatbot should be suspended within the EU immediately while this investigation is underway.
“I have been warning for almost two years that deepfake technology would be weaponised to humiliate, abuse and silence women. We now see that it is a rapidly escalating form of gender-based violence that threatens dignity, safety and consent. Platforms cannot be allowed to roll out powerful AI tools first and deal with the harm later.
“The EU has led the world in setting digital standards. We must now show that those rules have teeth. Suspending Grok during this investigation would send a clear message that European law will be enforced, and that the safety of women and girls will always come before the commercial interests of tech companies.”