Europe's clash with Musk's xAI escalates after Grok's rants
German lawmaker Ralf Stegner, responding to antisemitic comments that xAI's chatbot Grok made Tuesday on Musk's social media platform, X, said the posts "must not be tolerated under any circumstances' and called for sanctions in an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt. Poland's government separately urged the European Union to investigate and possibly fine xAI following lewd comments made by Grok about the country's politicians.
The European Union is already investigating Musk's social media platform under a relatively new content-moderation policy known as the Digital Services Act and had been weighing a fine ahead of its summer recess in August. The regulator is reportedly considering calculating the fine by including revenue from Musk's other businesses, including SpaceX and Neuralink, an approach that would significantly increase the potential penalties.
A review specifically targeting Grok would expand the EU's actions against X and threaten to ratchet up tension between Europe and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly blasted the region for going after U.S. tech companies.
xAI didn't respond to requests for comment. The company said Tuesday that it was working to remove inappropriate posts on X after the antisemitic Grok comments drew widespread condemnation. "Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X,' the chatbot's account posted.
Thomas Regnier, the EU spokesperson for digital affairs, said X is obliged to "assess and mitigate any potential risks' stemming from Grok, which is integrated into its online platform. "We follow developments closely, like with any other platform, and cannot speculate on potential next steps,' he said Wednesday.
Disabling X?
Musk announced in March that his xAI startup had taken over X, formerly known as Twitter. On Wednesday, X Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino announced she was stepping down after two years on the job. Yaccarino was responsible for reversing an advertiser exodus from the platform, triggered in part by Musk's own erratic content moderation decisions and posts.
She repeatedly had to defend her boss and the platform from critics who've pointed to a rise in violent content, antisemitism and misinformation on X.
Johannes Schatzl, a lawmaker from Germany's junior coalition partner, called on the EU to finish its review of X's alleged violations under the Digital Services Act as quickly as possible, and in an interview with Handelsblatt accused Musk of using Grok "to spread politically extreme content.'
Poland's deputy prime minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, said that, if X fails to stop the chatbot-fueled "hate speech,' the bloc should have the option of disabling it for residents.
"We are entering a higher level of hate speech which is controlled by algorithms,' Gawkowski told the Polish radio station RMF FM. "Turning a blind eye to this matter today, or not noticing it, or laughing about it — and I saw politicians laughing at it — is a mistake that may cost mankind,' he said.
Grok drew specific criticism in Poland this week after it responded to user questions about the country's politicians with profanity-laced remarks about their personal life and appearances. Screenshots of the comments quickly spread on social media, fanning a public debate about the dangers of such content.
Grok also stoked controversy in Turkey after targeting the nation's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in posts. Turkey's transport and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said Wednesday that the comments by Grok were unacceptable. Turkey will ban X "if necessary,' he said, unless steps are taken to prevent such content.
Turkey wouldn't be the first.
Brazil briefly took down X last year over hate speech and fake news. It was reported in February that European governments, reeling from Musk's political attacks, were comparing notes with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
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