Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is facing a backlash from governments around the world after a recent surge in sexualised images of women and children generated without consent by the artificial intelligence-powered tool.

On Tuesday, Britain’s top technology official demanded that Musk’s social media platform X take urgent action while a Polish lawmaker cited it as a reason to enact digital safety laws.

The European Union’s executive arm has denounced Grok while officials and regulators in France, India, Malaysia and Brazil have condemned the platform and called for investigations.

Rising alarm from disparate nations points to the nightmarish potential of nudification apps that use artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit deepfake images.

Here’s a closer look:

The problem emerged after the launch last year of Grok Imagine, an AI image generator that allows users to create videos and pictures by typing in text prompts. It includes a so-called “spicy mode” that can generate adult content.

It snowballed late last month when Grok, which is hosted on X, apparently began granting a large number of user requests to modify images posted by others. As of Tuesday, Grok users could still generate images of women using requests such as, “put her in a transparent bikini.”

The problem is amplified both because Musk pitches his chatbot as an edgier alternative to rivals with more safeguards, and because Grok’s images are publicly visible, and can therefore be easily spread.

Nonprofit group AI Forensics said in a report that it analysed 20,000 images generated by Grok between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 and found that 2% depicted a person who appeared to be 18 or younger, including 30 of young or very young women or girls, in bikinis or transparent clothes.

Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, responded to a request for comment with the automated response, “Legacy Media Lies”.

However, X did not deny that the troublesome content generated through Grok exists. Yet it still claimed in a post on its Safety account, that it takes action against illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, “by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.”

The platform also repeated a comment from Musk, who said, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”

A growing list of countries are demanding that Musk does more to rein in explicit or abusive content.

X must “urgently” deal with the problem, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Tuesday, adding that she supported additional scrutiny from the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom.

Kendall said the content is “absolutely appalling, and unacceptable in decent society.”

“We cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls.”

Ofcom said Monday it has made “urgent contact” with X.

“We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children,” the watchdog said.

The watchdog said it contacted both X and xAI to understand what steps it has taken to comply with British regulations.

Under the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, social media platforms must prevent and remove child sexual abuse material when they become aware of it.

A Polish lawmaker used Grok on Tuesday as a reason for national digital safety legislation that would beef up protections for minors and make it easier for authorities to remove content.

In an online video, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, speaker of the parliament, said he wanted to make himself a target of Grok to highlight the problem, as well as appeal to Poland’s president for support of the legislation.

The bloc’s executive arm is “well aware” that Grok is being used to for “explicit sexual content with some output generated with child-like images,” European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said

“This is not spicy. This is illegal. This is appalling. This is disgusting. This is how we see it, and this has no place in Europe. This is not the first time that Grok is generating such output,” he told reporters Monday.

After Grok spread Holocaust-denial content last year, according to Regnier, the Commission sought more information from Musk’s social media platform X. The response from X is currently being analyzed, he said.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said it’s widening an ongoing investigation of X to include sexually explicit deepfakes after officials received complaints from lawmakers.

Three government ministers alerted prosecutors to “manifestly illegal content” generated by Grok and posted on X, according to a government statement last week.

The government also flagged problems with country’s communications regulator over possible breaches of the EU’s Digital Services Act.

“The internet is neither a lawless zone nor a zone of impunity: sexual offenses committed online constitute criminal offenses in their own right and fall fully under the law, just as those committed offline,” the government said.

The Indian government on Friday issued an ultimatum to X, demanding that it take down all “unlawful content” and take action against offending users. The country’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also ordered the company to review Grok’s “technical and governance framework” and file a report on actions taken.

The ministry accused Grok of “gross misuse” of AI and serious failures of its safeguards and enforcement by allowing the generation and sharing of ”obscene images or videos of women in derogatory or vulgar manner in order to indecently denigrate them.”

The ministry warned failure to comply by the 72-hour deadline would expose the company to bigger legal problems, but the deadline passed with no public update from India.

The Malaysian communications watchdog said Saturday it was investigating X users who violated laws prohibiting spreading “grossly offensive, obscene or indecent content.”

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it’s also investigating online harms on X, and would summon a company representative.

The watchdog said it took note of public complaints about X’s AI tools being used to digitally manipulate “images of women and minors to produce indecent, grossly offensive, or otherwise harmful content.”

Lawmaker Erika Hilton said she reported Grok and X to the Brazilian federal public prosecutor’s office and the country’s data protection watchdog.

In a social media post, she accused both of of generating, then publishing sexualised images of women and children without consent.

She said X’s AI functions should be disabled until an investigation has been carried out.

Hilton, one of Brazil’s first transgender lawmakers, decried how users could get Grok to digitally alter any published photo, including “swapping the clothes of women and girls for bikinis or making them suggestive and erotic.”

“The right to one’s image is individual; it cannot be transferred through the ‘terms of use’ of a social network, and the mass distribution of child porn(asterisk)gr(asterisk)phy by an artificial intelligence integrated into a social network crosses all boundaries,” she said.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a signing ceremony of cooperation agreements between Nicaragua and Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

France is without a government or an annual budget. Germany, the supposed anchor of European stability, is being run by a caretaker administration. Poland, meanwhile, has temporarily suspended the right to asylum, a cornerstone of European values, in a “bold new migration strategy” that looks more like a move that undermines the European Union ideals. Russia is firmly in the driver’s seat in the Ukraine war. And as if that wasn’t enough, the EU is staring down the barrel of a new American presidency—one that promises to hike import tariffs and bully Europe’s NATO allies into coughing up more cash. 

These aren’t just random hiccups. France, Germany and Poland—the EU’s big boys—are all in turmoil. Indeed when the pillars of a structure start to crack, how long can the roof hold up? 

A Union In Crisis

The European Union, built on the lofty ideals of democracy, human rights and freedom of speech, now finds itself teetering on the edge of an existential crisis. The irony is as rich as it is tragic: a union founded on unity is fracturing under the weight of its contradictions.

Let’s start with the obvious. Britain exited the Union, but it’s not alone. In France, Marine Le Pen lurks menacingly in the political shadows, her far-right populism offering voters a seductive, anti-EU narrative. In Italy, Matteo Salvini champions a similar brand of nationalist fervour, while in Germany, the far-right AfD party is no longer a fringe player but a rising force to be reckoned with. The EU isn’t just rotting from outside—it is under siege from within.

When Europhiles Play The Populist Card

Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, is a known Europhile. But it was shocking for many in the EU that he suspended the right to asylum in his country, putting aside the bloc’s own principles. Tusk was a man who spent years championing European values, and now he undermines one of their cornerstones, all to save his own skin. Cynically, he justified his decision by saying that Russia and Belarus were diverting asylum seekers to his country and other EU member countries, a charge still unproven. But his critics point out that his real worries are a lot closer to home. His pro-EU Civic Platform coalition may have scraped through Poland’s parliamentary elections last year, but it’s been floundering ever since. Polls now show Tusk’s party neck and neck with the Eurosceptic Law and Justice Party (PiS).

Tusk is not alone. Struggling Europhile leaders across the continent are suddenly discovering the political utility of “securing national borders”. Take, for example, Olaf Scholz, Germany’s embattled chancellor. His popularity is sinking fast. Recently, Scholz imposed border controls across all of Germany’s land borders, citing an Islamist terror attack in Solingen as the trigger. But let’s call it what it is: a calculated move for the February election to placate voters fed up with migration and to fend off rising populist parties like the AfD.

Double Standards

Then there is Brussels itself—the hallowed guardian of European unity, democracy and human rights. It has made a remarkable U-turn on migration. Recently, after one of its signature closed-door meetings, the European Commission threw its weight behind Tusk. In a statement backed by all 27 member states, Brussels claimed that Russia and Belarus are “abusing our values” and “undermining our democracies”. It justified its stance by saying that “exceptional situations require appropriate measures”.

Apparently, the EU has decided that border controls are acceptable so long as the justification is wrapped in anti-Russian rhetoric and presented by the right kind of leader. To understand the EU’s hypocrisy, let’s remind ourselves what it did to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary—Orbán being a ‘bad boy’ of Europe for supporting Russia. Recently, the EU’s top court fined Hungary €200m for failing to follow the union’s asylum policies. The court will also issue a penalty of €1m a day until it changes its policy. The European Court of Justice said Budapest was in breach of a 2020 judgement and had violated EU laws by forcing asylum seekers to travel to Belgrade or Kyiv to apply for a travel permit for entering Hungary.

These double standards are impossible to ignore. When Poland’s PiS government previously clamped down on migration, Brussels was quick to condemn it as a betrayal of European values. But now that Tusk is doing the same, suddenly, the EU is all right with it. 

France Faces People’s Mistrust

President Macron and France’s so-called political class are facing a sea of public mistrust. A recent Le Monde survey paints a grim picture: only 22% of French people trust their MPs—a seven-point drop in just a year. Voters are sick of the endless political bickering. And who can blame them? With faith in the system evaporating, the odds that fresh parliamentary elections next summer will magically deliver a stable majority seem very slim.

The timing couldn’t be worse. The war in Ukraine is at a potential turning point, and across the Atlantic, a new Trump administration looms, itching to kickstart a trade war that could send shockwaves through Europe’s fragile economy. For now, Macron still holds the reins—at least on paper. But he has to convince France’s allies that the nation isn’t about to unravel completely. With domestic gridlock and global crises closing in, it’s up to him to prove that France can still play ball on the world stage. The question is: does anyone still believe he can pull it off?

Ukraine Obsession: A Crisis Of Priorities

The European Union is pouring billions into Ukraine—defence aid, financial packages, reconstruction pledges—all in the name of standing up to Russian aggression. But its own citizens are buckling under the weight of spiralling costs. Energy bills are sky-high, inflation continues to bite and wages remain stagnant. Let’s be blunt, I live and travel in the heart of Europe and I feel it: the EU’s relentless commitment to Ukraine isn’t just draining its coffers, it’s bleeding its people dry.

The Biden administration, ever the puppet master, has pulled the EU deep into the Ukrainian quagmire. Washington’s playbook is clear: keep Europe committed to Ukraine as a frontline bulwark against Russia. But what has Europe gained? Endless sanctions that hurt its own economies more than Moscow’s, and a cold winter of discontent driven by an overreliance on expensive LNG imports from across the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Russia, as I have said in my previous columns, though battered, is far from broken. Its economy is adapting and its territorial grip in eastern Ukraine remains firm.

An Awkward Dance With Trump And Musk

Europe’s love affair with the American tech and political elite has soured spectacularly. Donald Trump’s triumphant return and his bromance with Elon Musk may spell trouble for the EU’s ambitious tech crackdown.

Let’s talk about X, Musk’s digital playground, and its showdown with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). This isn’t just another slap-on-the-wrist regulation. Passed in 2022, the DSA packs a punch, demanding platforms remove illegal content or face fines of up to 6% of their annual revenue. Musk’s X is on the radar of the EU regulators, who have alleged multiple violations of the DSA rules. Now, they’re mulling their next move—fine X, slap Musk with penalties, or go after both. But that was before Trump was in play. Now that he is, the EU’s tech crusade is about to get a lot messier.

Digital Dinosaur In A World Of Tech Titans

One of the EU’s biggest problems is that it’s not disintegrating—it’s badly stagnating. Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi sounded the alarm in September. In his much-anticipated 328-page report, Draghi pulled no punches: “This is an existential challenge,” he said. Europe needs to raise its annual investment by a staggering €800 billion to keep pace with the US and China, with much of that going to tech. Without it, the continent risks being left in the dust.

Seattle-based, Indian-origin tech expert S. Aamir Aarfi says that Europe needs to act fast, as it currently lags behind all the top players. Says he, “Silicon Valley churns out innovation at warp speed, China dominates AI and 5G, and even India is emerging as a tech powerhouse. Unfortunately, Europe clings to regulations and bureaucracy, dangerously close to stagnation and irrelevance.”

“Consider the cold, hard facts,” says Aarfi, “the US dominates Big Tech and is home to giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft. China has its state-backed juggernauts—Tencent, Alibaba, and Huawei. But Europe? It boasts only the SAP”. Draghi notes that a mere four of the world’s top 50 tech companies are European. He doesn’t mince words: “Europe largely missed out on the digital revolution led by the internet and the productivity gains it brought.”

The EU appears to be spending more time regulating than innovating. Its flagship Digital Services and Markets Acts are more about policing foreign tech than fostering local growth. Meanwhile, European startups struggle to scale, stifled by red tape and a lack of venture capital. Europe dithers over ethics, while its brightest minds head to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen.

Draghi’s diagnosis is clear: Europe isn’t just falling behind—it’s failing to show up. If it doesn’t act boldly and invest massively, it risks becoming a digital backwater, sidelined in the industries defining the future. As Aarfi says, “Europe needs a tech revolution and it needs it now.”

The greatest threat to the EU doesn’t come from Moscow or Beijing but from within. Populist and nationalist movements are on the rise, fuelled by a toxic blend of economic anxiety, cultural insecurity, and distrust of Brussels. Stuck in a web of noble intentions but shoddy execution, the EU risks becoming irrelevant—not through dramatic collapse, but through a slow, self-inflicted decline.

(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Brussels:

Facebook owner Meta will set up a team to tackle disinformation and the abuse of generative artificial intelligence in the run-up to European Parliament elections in June amid concerns about election interference and misleading AI-generated content.

The rapid growth of generative AI, which can create text, images and video in seconds in response to prompts, has triggered fears that the new technology could be used to disrupt major elections across the world this year.

European Parliament elections will take place June 6-9. Its 720 lawmakers, together with EU governments, pass new EU policies and laws.

“As the election approaches, we’ll activate an Elections Operations Center to identify potential threats and put mitigations in place in real time,” Marco Pancini, Meta’s head of EU affairs, said in a blogpost.

He said experts from the company’s intelligence, data science, engineering, research, operations, content policy and legal teams will focus on combating misinformation, tackling influence operations and counter the risks related to the abuse of generative AI.

Meta, which currently works with 26 independent fact-checking organisations across the European Union covering 22 languages, will add three new partners in Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia, Pancini said.

Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and 17 other tech companies earlier this month agreed to work together to prevent deceptive artificial-intelligence content from interfering with elections across the globe this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An ambitious 2021 agreement by more than 140 countries and territories to weed out tax havens and force multinational corporations to pay a minimum tax has been weakened by loopholes and will raise only a fraction of the revenue that was envisioned, a tax watchdog backed by the European Union (EU) has warned.

The landmark agreement, brokered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%. The idea was to stop multinational corporations, among them Apple and Nike, from using accounting and legal maneuvers to shift earnings to low- or no-tax havens.

Explainer | What is a global minimum tax and what will it mean?

“Those havens are typically places such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands where the companies actually do little or no business. The companies’ manoeuvres result in lost tax revenue of $100 billion to $240 billion a year,” the OECD has said.

According to the report, being released on Monday by the EU Tax Observatory, the agreement was expected to raise an amount equal to nearly 10% of global corporate tax revenue. Instead, because the plan has been weakened, it says the minimum tax will generate only half that — less than 5% of corporate tax revenue.

Much of the hoped-for revenue has been drained away by loopholes, some of them introduced as the OECD has been refining details of the agreement, which has yet to take effect. The watchdog group estimates that a 15% minimum tax could have raised roughly $270 billion in 2023. With the loopholes, it says, that figure drops to about $136 billion.

Over the summer, the OECD agreed to delay for at least a year — until 2026 — a provision that would have let foreign countries impose additional taxes on U.S. multinational companies that failed to pay at least a 15% rate on their overseas earnings.

The EU Tax Observatory noted that even under the rules of the 2021 agreement, companies would maintain some ability to evade taxes. Companies that have tangible businesses — factories, warehouses, stores and offices — operating in a particular country, for example, could continue to pay a tax rate below 15%. That carveout, the EU Tax Observatory warned, could “give firms incentives to move production to countries with tax rates below 15%.” “This risks exacerbating the race-to-the-bottom with corporate income tax rates,” it said.

Another loophole lets countries offer tax credits, for such things as conducting research and investing in local factories, that can reduce companies’ tax rates below the 15% mark and still comply with the 2021 agreement.

The Tax Observatory also expressed concern that the race by governments to grant tax breaks for green technologies to fight climate change “raises some of the same issues as standard tax competition. It depletes government revenues.”

“It also risks increasing inequality by boosting the after-tax profits of shareholders, who tend to be towards the top of the income distribution,” it said.

The EU Tax Observatory isn’t calling for an outright ban on green-technology subsidies. But it is urging governments to consider other policies to offset the financial gains to the wealthy from such tax breaks.

The group said that multinational corporations shifted $1 trillion — 35% of the profits they earned outside their home countries — to tax havens. American companies account for about 40% of such global profit shifting.

Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said an agreement on a tax on companies that have no physical presence in a country but that earn profits there, such as through digital services, wouldn’t be finalised until 2024.

“There are some matters that are important to the United States and other countries that remain unresolved — open issues that still must be resolved before the treaty can be signed″ she said after meeting with European Finance Ministers.

The EU Tax Observatory is run by Gabriel Zucman, a leading economist and tax-and-inequality researcher of the Paris School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley. Its report is based on the work of more than 100 researchers around the world who often work with government tax agencies. It draws upon new sources of data on multinational corporate finances and offshore wealth held by corporations.

Also read | Global pact on minimum corporate tax of 15%

Despite its criticisms of what has happened to the minimum tax, the EU Tax Observatory praised a separate effort to stop the wealthy from dodging taxes. In 2017, tax authorities around the world began exchanging taxpayer information from financial institutions to better enforce tax laws. The results, essentially ending bank secrecy, have been dramatic, the Tax Observatory found.

Until the “automatic information exchange,’’ was introduced, it said, virtually all wealth that the world’s rich held offshore went untaxed. Now, only 25% escapes taxes.

Still, the group says, “the effective tax rates of billionaires appear significantly lower than those of all other groups of the population’’ because the richest use tax-avoidance schemes. In the United States, it says, billionaires pay an effective average tax rate of 23%, including all taxes at all levels of government. The poorest 10% of Americans pay more – 25.6%.

The EU TAX Observatory is calling for a 2% global tax on billionaires’ wealth, a proposal it says would raise $250 billion annually from fewer than 3,000 people.