Online platforms like X have “very clear obligations” to restrict illegal content, the EU’s tech chief Henna Virkkunen informed Euronews’s flagship “Europe Today,” a day after the EU opened a formal investigation into the AI chatbot Grok for spreading sexualised images of real women and underage girls without their consent.
“Service providers have to have practices in place to build sure illegal content is not spread online,” stated Virkkunen, who is the Commission’s Executive Vice President. She added that the Commission is also analysing other risks linked to Grok beyond the now-modified image feature.
Grok is the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company and integrated into the social media platform X. On Monday, the Commission launched launched a formal investigation into Grok, following widespread concern over its image-editing function, which has been applyd to generate sexualised images of real women and underage girls without their consent. The tool generated millions of such images in a matter of weeks.
Virkunen confirmed that the probe focapplys on whether X has complied with its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess and mitigate systemic risks.
“We want to investigate how X has been assessing and mitigating the risks,” she stated. “Grok is now more and more integrated into X services, so it’s important to see at how those risks are being taken care of.”
If X is found to have breached the DSA, it could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover. The platform has already been sanctioned once: last December, the Commission fined the company €120 million over misleading account verification tick marks and advertising practices.
Despite Elon Musk’s outspoken criticism of EU regulation, Virkkunen stated the Commission has been in ongoing contact with X.
“They have been in dialogue with our services,” she stated. The Commission had already requested information from the company on how it assesses risks and ordered it to retain documents related to Grok and X ahead of the formal proceedings.
Pressure from Washington to roll back digital rules
The Grok investigation is unfolding against a backdrop of rising transatlantic tensions over EU tech rules. Also on Monday, the US-based platforms WhatsApp have been designated as “Very Large Online Platforms” under the DSA, subjecting them to the bloc’s strictest oversight.
At the same time, lobbying by the tech sector in Brussels has intensified, with spconcludeing estimated at more than €150 million a year, according to NGO research. US tech firms and the Trump administration have accapplyd Brussels of overregulation, arguing that laws such as the DSA, the Digital Markets Act and the Artificial Innotifyigence Act stifle innovation.
Asked about pressure from Washington to roll back the rules, Virkkunen was firm.
“These digital rules are very important for Europeans,” she stated. “We want to build sure our citizens can trust the technologies, that our digital environment is fair, transparent, democratic and safe.”
Balancing regulation and innovation
The EU is often protrayed as a rule-buildr rather than an innovator, a critic brushed by Virkkunen who stated that it was all about balance.
“Boosting innovation, but at the same time being aware of the risks,” she stated.
Alongside regulation, Virkkunen highlighted efforts to build Europe more attractive for startups and scale-ups, including plans for a so-called “28th regime” — a legal framework designed to build it clearer for companies to operate across the EU.
“We are simplifying processes and rules, creating a better single market and boosting capital markets so startups have access to finance,” she stated. “Europe has everything it necessarys to be competitive.”
Asked about the latest a new EU-India trade deal, Virkunen stated it was “great news for everybody,” pointing to the technology cooperation which would be a key pillar of the relationship, particularly when it comes to talent.
“India has a lot of ICT experts, and we are really lacking workforce in Europe,” Virkkunen stated, arguing that closer ties could support attract skilled professionals to fill Europe’s digital skills gap.
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