French authorities summon Elon Musk for a voluntary interview in Paris as part of a probe into X’s algorithm and AI chatbot Grok’s content
PARIS: French authorities have summoned billionaire Elon Musk for a voluntary interview in Paris.
The summons is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that his social media platform X’s algorithm was used to interfere in French politics.
The probe, launched in January 2025, was later expanded to include X’s AI chatbot Grok. Investigators are examining its dissemination of Holocaust denials and sexual deepfakes.
French prosecutors searched the Paris offices of X in early February. The company, which has denied any wrongdoing, slammed the raids as “politicized” and an “abusive judicial act”.
Prosecutors also summoned then-CEO Linda Yaccarino for a voluntary interview at the time. Musk called the move a “political attack”.
Yaccarino resigned as CEO of X in July last year after two years leading the company.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in February that X employees had also been summoned to appear as witnesses. Their voluntary appearance would not be “an obstacle to the continuation of the investigation,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
Officials have not offered details on the location or time of Musk’s scheduled interview.
The French investigation focuses on several suspected criminal offences. These include complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity.
The social media company in July called the probe “politically motivated”.
The investigation forms part of a broader international backlash against Grok. This followed revelations that users could sexualise images using simple text prompts.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate said Grok generated an estimated three million sexualised images in 11 days. This included 23,000 that appeared to depict children.
Britain’s data regulator launched investigations into X and xAI in February. It cited “serious concerns” over compliance with personal data laws regarding Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfakes.
The European Union also hit X with a probe over Grok’s generation of sexualised deepfake images in late January.
