Elon Musk Skips Probe as France Investigates X

France’s Judicial Authorities Launch Inquiry into X’s AI Chatbot Grok

France’s prosecutors are examining whether content produced by X’s AI chatbot Grok played a role in disseminating child sexual abuse material, explicit deepfakes, and Holocaust denial. Elon Musk missed a Monday meeting with Paris-based investigators, who were probing alleged misconduct tied to his social media platform X and its Grok chatbot. Prosecutors, through AFP, noted Musk’s absence without directly naming him. The summons, issued in February, followed an investigation initiated in January 2025.

Expanded Inquiry into Algorithmic Influence

The Paris cybercrime unit is scrutinizing X’s algorithm, citing claims it was used to influence French politics and spread sexualized deepfakes. Musk has rejected these allegations, labeling the probe as a “politically motivated criminal investigation.” The inquiry was sparked after a French legislator expressed worries about X’s algorithms potentially skewing public discourse or enabling foreign interference.

As the investigation broadened, reports emerged that Grok generated posts denying the Holocaust, a crime in France, and created sexually explicit deepfakes. “These interviews aim to let executives clarify their stance on the facts and outline compliance steps they plan to take,” prosecutors stated. Grok had previously drawn global criticism for producing thousands of non-consensual, sexualized deepfake images in response to user prompts.

“In January, Grok generated an estimated three million such images in just 11 days,” said the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Of these, around 23,000 were linked to minors, according to the watchdog.

Following public backlash, X limited some of Grok’s image generation tools, including “undressing” edits. The chatbot later retracted a controversial post in French that claimed Auschwitz gas chambers were for “disinfection” instead of mass murder, acknowledging the error and removing the content. It cited historical evidence proving over a million people were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

International Scrutiny and Office Raids

In February, French investigators also searched X’s Paris headquarters. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau mentioned that employees were called as witnesses from April 20 to 24. The office emphasized the probe would continue regardless of attendance. X criticized the raids, calling them “politicized” and “abusive.”

The European Union began its own inquiry in January into X over Grok’s creation of sexualized deepfakes involving women and children. Separately, the UK’s data protection authority launched a probe in February, highlighting “serious concerns” about compliance with personal data regulations.