French prosecutors escalate Elon Musk and X investigation to criminal probe over Grok AI violations

French prosecutors seek charges against Elon Musk and X over child sexual abuse images

French prosecutors are seeking charges against Elon Musk and his social platform X for child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by the platform's artificial intelligence system, Grok. The Paris public prosecutor's office said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into X on charges including complicity in possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images, unlawfully collecting personal data and without ensuring data security, as well as disseminating non-consensual images or other content and denial of crimes against humanity Grok. X and its parent company SpaceX did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday. The investigation comes less than three weeks after Musk and Linda Yaccarino -- the former CEO of X -- were summoned for "voluntary interviews" to discuss the allegations. They did not show up, but French authorities said this wouldn't hinder the investigation. Musk was summoned after a search took place in February at the French premises of X as part of an investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office. Musk and Yaccarino have been invited in their capacities as managers of X at the time of the events investigated. Yaccarino was CEO from May 2023 until July 2025. French authorities opened their investigation after reports from a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on X likely distorted the functioning of an automated data processing system. It expanded after the AI system, Grok, generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust, a crime in France, and spread sexually explicit deepfakes. It's looking into alleged "complicity" in possessing and spreading sexual abuse images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organized group, among other charges. Grok, which was built by xAI and is available through X, sparked global outrage this year after it pumped out a torrent of sexualized nonconsensual deepfake images in response to requests from X users. Grok also wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus" rather than for mass murder -- language long associated with Holocaust denial. In later posts on X, the chatbot reversed itself and acknowledged that its earlier reply was wrong, saying it had been deleted, and pointed to historical evidence that Zyklon B was used to kill more than 1 million people in Auschwitz gas chambers. In March, the Paris prosecutor's office alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, suggesting "that the controversy surrounding sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok may have been deliberately orchestrated to artificially boost the value of the companies X and xAI -- potentially constituting criminal offenses," prosecutors said.

French prosecutors escalate probe of Elon Musk and X to criminal investigation

French cybercrime authorities have escalated an investigation of Elon Musk and his social network X to a criminal probe, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday. Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino were issued summons by French authorities for April 20. Both of them declined to appear and answer questions, according to the prosecutor's office. In February, Musk called the probe a "political attack," after French authorities raided the Paris office of X. The probe, requested by French Member of Parliament Éric Bothorel in early 2025, has focused on complaints of algorithmic manipulation by X to influence and interfere in French politics, and allegations that Musk and X knowingly allowed users of the AI chatbot Grok to create and spread Holocaust denials and nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfake images on X. Grok is developed by xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence company that acquired X (which he already owned) and earlier this year merged with SpaceX, his reusable rocket company. A version of Grok is also integrated into electric vehicles made by Tesla, Musk's automaker. Other international jurisdictions are also investigating X and Grok, as is the California attorney general's office. The probes generally focus on whether Musk and his companies deliberately allowed for the creation and spread of deepfake explicit images, including child sexual abuse materials, based on photos or videos of nonconsenting individuals. In April, the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly told French authorities it wouldn't help investigate Musk or X, and accused France of inappropriately interfering with an American business. Representatives for Musk and SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department and the Paris prosecutor's office weren't immediately available to comment.

French Prosecutors Want Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino to Face Preliminary Charges

French prosecutors who are investigating Elon Musk and his social media platform X have summoned the billionaire to France to face preliminary charges. The investigation is now officially a criminal probe, according to French officials. France opened a probe in 2025 to investigate whether X has violated French law, an investigation that has expanded following incidents last year when Musk's AI chatbot Grok started denying the Holocaust, praising Hitler, and allegedly generating child sexual abuse material when prompted by users. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been asked to travel to France to face preliminary charges. As the Journal explains, after preliminary charges have been filed in France, an investigating magistrate starts a process that can take months and doesn't necessarily mean a trial will be held. It's entirely possible that the case could ultimately be dropped. French authorities are looking into the "complicity" of Musk in creating sexual abuse images of minors and sexually explicit deepfakes, according to the Associated Press. Grok also allegedly spread misinformation in French, including a claim that Auschwitz wasn't a death camp during the Holocaust but was used for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus." Musk purchased Twitter in late 2022 and changed the name to X. The billionaire made many changes to the platform, stripping away safeguards that allowed people to know when an account was verified, and inviting back far-right figures who had previously been banned. Musk welcomed users like white supremacist Nick Fuentes and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, among a host of others. Musk also tinkered with the site in ways that turned it into a hotbed of far-right extremism and pro-Trump propaganda in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Musk donated over $290 million to Republicans in the 2024 cycle and even ran a program that paid some voters in swing states up to $1 million to sign a "petition," a move that was just very clearly an attempt at paying people to vote for Trump. Musk, who is currently worth $803 billion, was rewarded with a job overseeing the dismantling of agencies in the federal government under the auspices of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Ultimately, about 300,000 government workers lost their jobs, and USAID was unlawfully dissolved. The cuts to global aid are estimated to lead to 23 million deaths by the year 2030, according to an analysis by The Lancet Global Health. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice told French authorities the U.S. wouldn't assist in any investigation of Musk and X, something that wasn't a surprise given the billionaire oligarch's ties to the Trump regime. “This investigation seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas and opinions in a manner contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,†the April letter said, according to the Wall Street Journal. X didn't immediately respond to questions emailed Thursday about whether Musk planned on traveling to France. Gizmodo will update this article if we hear back.

French prosecutors seek charges against Musk and X over Grok content

French prosecutors said Wednesday that they have opened an investigation into Elon Musk and social media platform X over the distribution of child sexual abuse images, deepfakes, disinformation and alleged complicity in denying crimes against humanity linked to the platform's artificial intelligence system, Grok. French prosecutors are seeking charges against Elon Musk and his social platform X over child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by the platform's artificial intelligence system, Grok. The Paris public prosecutor's office said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into X on charges including complicity in possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images and unlawfully collecting personal data. It's also investigating charges of disseminating non-consensual images or other content and denial of crimes against humanity. X and its parent company SpaceX did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday. The investigation comes less than three weeks after Musk and Linda Yaccarino - the former CEO of X - were summoned for "voluntary interviews" to discuss the allegations. They did not show up, but French authorities said this wouldn't hinder the investigation. Musk was summoned after a search took place in February at the French premises of X as part of an investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office. Musk and Yaccarino have been invited in their capacities as managers of X at the time of the events investigated. Yaccarino was CEO from May 2023 until July 2025. French authorities opened their investigation after reports from a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on X likely distorted the functioning of an automated data processing system. It expanded after the AI system, Grok, generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust, a crime in France, and spread sexually explicit deepfakes. It's looking into alleged "complicity" in possessing and spreading sexual abuse images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organised group, among other charges. Grok, which was built by xAI and is available through X, sparked global outrage this year after it pumped out a torrent of sexualised non-consensual deepfake images in response to requests from X users. Grok also wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus" rather than for mass murder - language long associated with Holocaust denial. In later posts on X, the chatbot reversed itself and acknowledged that its earlier reply was wrong, saying it had been deleted, and pointed to historical evidence that Zyklon B was used to kill more than 1 million people in Auschwitz gas chambers. In March, the Paris prosecutor's office alerted the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, suggesting "that the controversy surrounding sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok may have been deliberately orchestrated to artificially boost the value of the companies X and xAI - potentially constituting criminal offences," prosecutors said.

French Prosecutors Seek Charges Against Elon Musk and X Over Child Sexual Abuse Images

French prosecutors are seeking charges against Elon Musk and his social platform X for child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by the platform's artificial intelligence system, Grok. The Paris public prosecutor's office said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into X on charges including complicity in possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images, unlawfully collecting personal data and without ensuring data security, as well as disseminating non-consensual images or other content and denial of crimes against humanity Grok. X and its parent company SpaceX did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday. The investigation comes less than three weeks after Musk and Linda Yaccarino -- the former CEO of X -- were summoned for "voluntary interviews" to discuss the allegations. They did not show up, but French authorities said this wouldn't hinder the investigation. Musk was summoned after a search took place in February at the French premises of X as part of an investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office. Musk and Yaccarino have been invited in their capacities as managers of X at the time of the events investigated. Yaccarino was CEO from May 2023 until July 2025. French authorities opened their investigation after reports from a French lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms on X likely distorted the functioning of an automated data processing system. It expanded after the AI system, Grok, generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust, a crime in France, and spread sexually explicit deepfakes. It's looking into alleged "complicity" in possessing and spreading sexual abuse images of minors, sexually explicit deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system as part of an organized group, among other charges. Grok, which was built by xAI and is available through X, sparked global outrage this year after it pumped out a torrent of sexualized nonconsensual deepfake images in response to requests from X users. Grok also wrote in a widely shared post in French that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus" rather than for mass murder -- language long associated with Holocaust denial. In later posts on X, the chatbot reversed itself and acknowledged that its earlier reply was wrong, saying it had been deleted, and pointed to historical evidence that Zyklon B was used to kill more than 1 million people in Auschwitz gas chambers. In March, the Paris prosecutor's office alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, suggesting "that the controversy surrounding sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok may have been deliberately orchestrated to artificially boost the value of the companies X and xAI -- potentially constituting criminal offenses," prosecutors said.