DUBLIN, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ireland's data protection watchdog, acting on behalf of the EU, launched a probe Tuesday into Elon Musk's X over AI chatbot Grok's generation of sexualised deepfake images, the latest step of an international backlash against the tool.

The "large-scale inquiry" relates to potential breaches of the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), said a statement by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC).

It will examine "the alleged creation and publication on X of potentially harmful, non-consensual intimate or sexualised images involving Europeans, including children," generated using the tool, said the DPC.

"The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether X complied with its obligations under the GDPR ... with regard to the personal data processed of EU/EEA data subjects," it said.

As X's European operations has its headquarters in Ireland, the DPC is the lead regulator in Europe for applying EU rules on the platform.

DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle said the authority has "been engaging" with X "since media reports first emerged a number of weeks ago concerning the alleged ability of X users to prompt the Grok account on X to generate sexualised images of real people, including children".

In response to the outcry over the deepfakes, some countries announced in January that they were launching probes into Grok, increasing regulatory pressure, or even blocking it altogether.

The European Union opened its own probe into whether X had met legal obligations under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA), which is designed to police internet giants.

Under fire, X said last month it was restricting Grok's image generation and editing to paying subscribers.

Regulation of US tech giants, including X, has been at the heart of growing tensions between the EU and Washington since Donald Trump's return to power.

The Irish move comes despite repeated US threats of retaliation against enforcement of tech rules that Trump's administration seeks to frame as attacks on free speech and unfair targeting of US firms.

The DPC said it notified Musk's social network on Monday that the investigation had been opened.

Contacted by AFP, X had not responded Monday evening.

The Irish regulator had already opened an investigation in April 2025 into X's use of certain personal data to train its AI models, particularly Grok.