The Polish deputy prime minister has written to Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen asking the EU to launch an investigation into Grok, the AI chatbot integrated into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Earlier this week the chatbot was reported making a flurry of antisemitic and hateful outbursts, including posts that appeared to celebrate Hitler – soon after which X said it had taken down the offending posts.
In the Polish deputy prime minister’s letter to Virkkunen – dated 9 July and seen by Euractiv – Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote: “What we are seeing from X right now could be considered as a major infringement of the DSA.”
His letter also calls out Grok for posting “offensive remarks in response to users’ questions,” including against the Polish government. “Grok’s responses were erratic and full of expletive-laden rants which could be described in many cases as defamation,” he added.
Gawkowski spoke on Polish radio yesterday, saying the government would be asking the Commission to investigate Grok. It has now taken the formal step of sending a letter which includes Poland’s Digital Services Coordinator in CC.
While X has faced extensive DSA investigation already – aspects of which led to a preliminary breach finding last July – the Commission has failed to fine the platform or reach a final decision on any of the probes.
Asked about Grok on Wednesday, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Euractiv that it is in touch with national digital services authorities on such issues.
“Grok is integrated into a designated very large online platform under the DSA,” he noted, adding: “X therefore has the obligation to assess and mitigate any potential risks stemming from the tool.”
The Commission’s spokesman, however, did not confirm whether it will open a separate investigation in light of Poland’s concerns yesterday. A follow up request for comment today had not been answered at the time of writing.
(nl)
