French expert calls for strengthened protections in face of illegal AI-generated content

French authorities should hold xAI accountable for any illegal content generation and strengthen protections for citizens in the age of AI, an expert on digital media said Friday.

Launched by Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk in 2023, xAI is the developer of the chatbot Grok, which has recently been embroiled in scandal over allegations that can produce pornographic videos from photographs of real people.

In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Paris, Mathilde Saliou, an author and journalist specialized in digital media, emphasized the urgent need for French authorities to take action to reinforce protection online.

"This could be considered a serious and important issue, which is what more digital companies, [like xAI,] are starting to do. And as such, they should set up teams dedicated to protecting internet users, recruiting staff to participate in moderating online content and preventing the dissemination of all these dramatic images," she said.

Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation into xAI over allegations that Grok has been generating illegal pornographic content, and announced on January 2 that they would launch the probe.

Saliou said France must hold the enterprise accountable, continue the investigation, and specifically require Musk to take responsibility.

Grok is currently integrated directly into X. According to French media reports, this latest probe acts as an extension of an ongoing investigation into X that began in July 2025, which focused on allegations that the platform's algorithms were being manipulated to facilitate foreign interference.

"We can consider this (Grok) a market entity from a foreign country, specifically from the U.S. It is currently disseminating, particularly in the French-speaking digital public sphere, and specifically France, which is potentially, completely illegal under our laws. In this case, promoting hatred based on gender, promoting hatred based on social and ethnic origins, and even denying the reality of the Holocaust, all these elements that we saw on X, which are reproduced by Grok, are illegal under French law," said Saliou.

In the face of the widespread controversy over the content generated by Grok, some countries have already taken action. The United Kingdom said it will enforce a new law making it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images. Malaysia has temporarily blocked access to Grok.

French expert calls for strengthened protections in face of illegal AI-generated content

A wildfire that engulfed part of a forest in Shantou City of south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday has been extinguished after 17 hours of concerted efforts by multiple departments including emergency response, firefighting and public security units.

Villagers living at the foot of Xianglu Mountain were the first to notice the fire erupting on its slopes.

"It looked far away and I thought it was just someone burning garbage," recalled one villager.

Upon discovering the fire, local authorities immediately organized personnel to combat the flames, with mobilization of over 200 rescuers from surrounding areas to assist in the firefighting efforts.

"We were divided into two to three groups, with one conducting regular firefighting and another using water pumps to extinguish the fire," said one rescuer.

Given the rapid spread of the fire, local officials also called in aerial support with helicopters to aid in extinguishing the blaze. Furthermore, many personnel organized by local grassroots departments were actively involved in the firefighting efforts.

By 06:00 on Monday, the wildfire was finally extinguished without causing any casualties. The dry climate in winter increases the risk of forest fire in the region. However, the cause of the forest fire is still under investigation.

Wildfire extinguished in south China's Guangdong after 17 hours of efforts