BERLIN, Jan 6 (Reuters) – The EU Commission must take legal action to stop the “industrialization of sexual harassment” taking place on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, Germany’s media minister, Wolfram Weimer, told Reuters on Tuesday.
With his comments, Weimer joins a chorus of European leaders, including the EU Commission this week, raising concerns about the flood of sexually explicit content being created using X’s built-in AI chatbot Grok.
“What we are currently observing on X looks like the industrialisation of sexual harassment,” said Weimer about the images of women and children in very skimpy clothing generated in a Grok feature referred to as “spicy mode.”
“It is now crucial that the EU Commission continues to enforce this (legal framework) as rigorously as it has already begun,” said Weimer.
The DSA, which requires online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content, provides all the necessary tools to ensure consistent application of EU law, he said.
Online, Musk has dismissed the criticism, while Grok – which in an earlier model had praised Hitler and produced content with antisemitic tropes – has stated that it will examine gaps in its security measures and make improvements.
Both Musk and the U.S. government accuse Europeans of censorship and suppressing freedom of expression with their regulation, and Washington last month imposed visa bans on five Europeans combating online hate and disinformation.
(Reporting by Andreas RinkeWriting by Miranda MurrayEditing by Madeline Chambers)
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