AElon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is now under criminal investigation in France, after it reportedly generated posts questioning the use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, a move which French officials say crosses the line into Holocaust denial.
The controversy began when Grok, developed by Musk’s xAI company and embedded on his social media platform X, replied to a query from a user by publishing a widely shared French-language message.
The chatbot allegedly claimed that gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were intended for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” rather than the mass killing of Jews. This sort of language has long been associated with Holocaust deniers who seek to minimize or erase the genocide that killed more than six million Jewish people during World War II.
The Auschwitz Memorial was quick to respond. The organization highlighted the exchange on X, pointing out that Grok’s response distorted historical fact and violated the platform’s own rules. SS documents, survivor testimonies, and photographs taken by resistance members have all been used to provide overwhelming evidence of the fact that the gas chambers were used to murder more than one million people at Auschwitz alone.
After the backlash, Grok posted follow-up messages on X to admit that its earlier response was wrong. The chatbot said the original post had been deleted and pointed to historical evidence confirming the true purpose of the gas chambers. However, X itself did not issue any official clarification or statement about the incident.
France Takes Legal Action Against X and Grok for Holocaust Denial and Hate Speech
When Associated Press journalists tested Grok on Friday with questions about Auschwitz, the chatbot seemed to provide historically accurate information. The damage was done, however, and French authorities weren’t about to let the matter go.
This is not the first time Grok has created antisemitic material. Earlier this year, Musk’s company had to take down posts from the chatbot that seemed to praise Adolf Hitler. That incident came after complaints flooded in about the chatbot producing antisemitic material.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has now confirmed the Holocaust-denial comments have been added to an existing cybercrime investigation into X. That investigation was originally opened earlier this year, after French officials raised concerns that the platform’s algorithm could be used for foreign interference. Prosecutors say they will now examine how Grok’s AI actually functions as part of this expanded probe.
France has some of the most stringent legislation in Europe against Holocaust denial. According to French law, denial of the existence or genocidal character of Nazi crimes can be prosecuted as a criminal offense, as can other forms of incitement to racial hatred. The punishments can be heavy, and the officials are manifestly taking this case seriously.
Several French government ministers have personally reported Grok’s posts to the Paris prosecutor. Industry Minister Roland Lescure was among those who flagged the content under a legal provision that requires public officials to report possible crimes when they become aware of them.
The ministers said in a government statement that the AI-generated content is “manifestly illicit” and may amount to racially motivated defamation and denial of crimes against humanity.
France Targets X and Grok Over ‘Appalling’ AI Content, Raising Global Accountability Questions
French authorities also referred the posts for review by a national police platform dedicated to handling illegal online content. They also informed France’s digital regulator of suspected breaches of the European Union’s Digital Service Act, which imposes strict requirements on how online platforms should handle toxic content.
The French investigation comes as pressure builds from Brussels, too. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said this week it is in contact with X about Grok. Commission officials called some of the chatbot’s output “appalling” and said it runs against Europe’s fundamental rights and values.
Two of France’s most well-known human rights organizations have now joined the battle. The Ligue des droits de l’Homme and SOS Racisme have filed a criminal complaint against Grok and X for contesting crimes against humanity. Neither X nor xAI has responded to requests for comment about the investigation or the criminal complaints.
The case raises difficult questions about accountability in the age of artificial intelligence. When a chatbot spreads misinformation or harmful content, who bears responsibility. the company that built it, the platform that hosts it, or the technology itself?
As AI systems become more powerful and more integrated into everyday life, governments around the world are grappling with how to regulate them. France’s investigation could set an important precedent for how democracies deal with AI-generated content that crosses legal and ethical lines.
