French prosecutors have raised serious concerns about Elon Musk’s role in the controversy surrounding sexually explicit deepfake images generated by X’s AI chatbot, Grok. They believe that Musk may have intentionally stirred this scandal to artificially enhance the valuation of his social media platform, X, as well as the AI company xAI. This development adds a new layer of complexity to ongoing investigations into the tech mogul’s business practices and the ethical implications of AI-generated content.
The uproar began earlier this year when Grok, an AI chatbot integrated into X, started producing images of naked women and girls without their consent. This sparked widespread outrage and criticism from digital rights groups and the public alike. French prosecutors now suggest that this controversy was not merely accidental but could have been deliberately orchestrated to create a media frenzy, thereby increasing the perceived value of Musk’s companies ahead of a significant financial milestone.
Specifically, the Paris prosecutor’s office highlighted that this controversy might have been timed to influence the upcoming stock market listing planned for June 2026. This listing involves a new entity formed by the merger of SpaceX and xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture. By generating heightened attention and debate around Grok’s capabilities, the companies could potentially attract more investors and drive up their market valuation.
In response to these suspicions, French authorities reached out to their counterparts in the United States, including the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to share their concerns and coordinate possible investigations. This cross-border cooperation underscores the gravity of the allegations and the international implications of Musk’s business operations. Meanwhile, legal representatives for X in France have not yet issued any statements addressing the prosecutor’s claims.
Elon Musk himself reacted strongly to the accusations on X, dismissing the French prosecutors with a harsh insult in French. This public retort further fuels the tension between Musk and European regulators, who are already scrutinizing X for multiple issues. Among these are allegations that the platform’s algorithm was manipulated to interfere in French political processes, as well as the dissemination of Holocaust denial content and the problematic sexualized deepfakes generated by Grok.
It is important to note that Grok operates with its own dedicated account on X, allowing users to interact with the AI chatbot directly. For a time, users could tag Grok in posts to request image generation or editing, receiving AI-created images in response. Unfortunately, this feature was exploited by many who submitted photos of women or tagged images of women with commands such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes,” leading to the creation of millions of sexualized images without consent.
Research by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit watchdog, revealed that within just 11 days, Grok generated approximately three million sexualized images, predominantly featuring women, but alarmingly including around 23,000 images that appeared to depict children. This staggering volume highlights the scale of misuse and the urgent need for stronger safeguards in AI content generation.
Further scrutiny of Musk’s social media activity during the peak of the controversy revealed several posts that prosecutors interpret as encouraging the creation of non-consensual images. Reports indicate that Musk shared messages expressing enthusiasm for Grok’s ability to “undress” images, often accompanied by numerous emojis. In one instance, he even posted an AI-generated image of himself wearing a bikini, seemingly celebrating the chatbot’s controversial capabilities.
The public interest in Grok surged dramatically during this period, with app downloads increasing by 72 percent worldwide between January 1 and January 19 compared to the previous month. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower provided these figures, underscoring how the scandal may have inadvertently boosted user engagement and visibility for Musk’s AI product.
French authorities have already taken concrete steps in their investigation, including summoning Elon Musk for a voluntary interview and conducting searches at the local offices of his social media company. Musk dismissed these actions as politically motivated attacks. Meanwhile, similar probes have been launched in the United Kingdom and the European Union, reflecting growing international concern over the ethical and legal challenges posed by AI-generated deepfakes and their impact on privacy and consent.
