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French authorities have launched a sweeping investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, raiding its offices on February 3 as part of a probe into the company’s algorithms and its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok. French prosecutors have summoned Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino to appear at hearings on April 20. Several other X employees have also been called to testify as witnesses during the same week. The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office is examining X over seven separate allegations, including complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse imagery, dissemination of content denying crimes against humanity, and fraudulent extraction of data. The details were outlined in a February 3 statement by Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau, cited by The New York Times. The raid follows a year-long investigation into the alleged misuse of X’s content-ranking algorithms, alongside claims that data may have been improperly extracted by the platform or its executives. The inquiry was initially opened in January 2025 after concerns emerged about how X’s algorithm promotes and circulates content, report NDTV. Prosecutors later expanded the scope of the case following accusations that Grok had generated Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes. Authorities also alleged that X had discontinued a tool designed to limit the spread of child sexual abuse material, raising fears that such content was being allowed to circulate unchecked. Read More: Elon Musk tops $700bn net worth milestone after Tesla pay package reinstated In addition, investigators said Grok may have enabled users to create sexualised versions of existing images without the consent of those depicted. French officials further accused X of refusing to provide subscriber information linked to suspected criminal activity, deepening tensions between the platform and law enforcement. The raid came a day after Musk announced plans to merge his artificial intelligence company, xAI, with his rocket firm SpaceX. Responding to the action, X said it “categorically denies any wrongdoing,” describing the investigation as politically motivated and claiming it misapplies French law, bypasses due process, and threatens freedom of expression. Separately, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office said on February 3 that it has opened its own formal investigation into Grok, focusing on how personal data is processed and reports that the chatbot was used to generate non-consensual sexual imagery, including involving children.

Paris prosecutors have summoned X owner Elon Musk for questioning after conducting a raid on the platform’s offices in the French capital as part of an investigation into the alleged spread of sexual deepfakes, child abuse images and Holocaust denial content. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the search was carried out early Tuesday by its cybercrime unit in cooperation with the French police cybercrime division and Europol. Authorities have issued voluntary summonses for Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino to appear and answer questions about the platform’s compliance with French law. Prosecutors said the investigation covers several suspected criminal offenses, including complicity in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, violations of personal rights through the creation of sexual deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and the alleged fraudulent extraction of data from an automated processing system as part of an organized group. “The voluntary interviews with the managers should allow them to explain their position on the facts and, where applicable, the compliance measures envisaged,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Musk and Yaccarino have been asked to appear in Paris during the week of April 20, although it remains unclear whether prosecutors have the legal authority to compel their attendance. Meta faces trial in New Mexico after undercover investigation The Paris prosecutor’s office also announced it was closing its official X account and would instead communicate through LinkedIn and Instagram. Europol later said the probe relates to “a range of suspected criminal offences linked to the functioning and use of the platform, including the dissemination of illegal content and other forms of online criminal activity.” X did not immediately respond to media requests for comment. However, the company’s global government affairs account criticized the move, calling the raid an abuse of law enforcement intended to serve political objectives rather than impartial justice. Musk echoed that view in a post on his personal X account, describing the investigation as “a political attack.” X has faced growing scrutiny and political pressure from European governments and the European Union over its role in spreading harmful or illegal content and its potential influence on elections. #From Agencies

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has stirred controversy online by criticising acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan amid casting debates for his upcoming epic film The Odyssey. Musk responded on X (formerly Twitter) to a post questioning reports that Lupita Nyong’o might portray Helen of Troy in the movie. The post argued that casting Nyong’o could be "an insult" to the ancient Greek poet Homer, who described Helen as fair-skinned and blonde in The Odyssey, famously dubbing her “the face that launched a thousand ships.” Reacting to the post, Musk tweeted, “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.” Nyong’o’s potential involvement was first reported by Variety in November 2024, with the film’s title officially revealed in December. Her role in the production remains unconfirmed. The Odyssey features a star-studded ensemble including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, and Elliot Page. Rapper Travis Scott, a ten-time Grammy nominee, has also joined the cast, appearing in a promotional TV spot aired during Fox’s broadcast of the NFL AFC Championship game. The film is being hailed as a technical milestone, marking the first narrative feature to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Nolan revealed that a new “blimp” casing system now allows intimate scenes to capture usable sound despite IMAX cameras’ previously loud operation. Details regarding Nyong’o’s character and the official release date for The Odyssey have yet to be announced.   With inputs from NDTV

Tesla, the electric vehicle (EV) maker led by billionaire Elon Musk, reported a 3% drop in annual revenue for 2025 and a 61% fall in profits in the last quarter, as the company pivots towards artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The automaker announced it will discontinue production of its Model S and Model X vehicles, converting the California plant that produced them to manufacture its humanoid robots, known as Optimus. Musk also confirmed a $2 billion (£1.45 billion) investment in his AI venture, xAI, citing shareholder pressure despite mixed votes on the proposal. The move comes as Chinese EV manufacturer BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s largest electric car maker. Analysts note Tesla’s dated vehicle lineup and declining high-end models prompted the shift to focus on higher-volume vehicles like Model 3 and Model Y, alongside emerging ventures in robotaxis and AI-driven technologies. Musk described the upcoming capital expenditure of about $20 billion as an investment for an “epic future,” aiming to boost Tesla’s market value over the next decade to meet conditions of his record-breaking pay package. Tesla shares rose 2% in after-hours trading following the announcement. The strategic pivot also follows Musk’s controversial political activities, including involvement in former US President Donald Trump’s administration, which affected consumer sentiment toward the company globally.   With inputs from BBC

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, plans to launch over 5,400 satellites to build a new global internet network named TeraWave. The network will provide continuous internet access worldwide and transfer large amounts of data faster than rival services. Blue Origin said TeraWave will focus on businesses, data centres, and governments, unlike Elon Musk’s Starlink, which serves individual customers. At its fastest, TeraWave will offer upload and download speeds up to 6 terabits per second, far exceeding current commercial satellite services. Blue Origin aims to start launching the satellites by the end of 2027. The company has previously achieved a rocket booster landing on a floating platform and conducted an 11-minute all-female space flight. Amazon also runs a satellite project called Leo, with around 180 satellites in orbit. Leo focuses more on public internet access and plans to launch over 3,000 satellites eventually. The TeraWave project will compete with Starlink and Amazon Leo in the growing satellite internet market.   With inputs from BBC

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children has filed a lawsuit against his artificial intelligence company, claiming its Grok chatbot was used to create sexually explicit fake images of her, causing humiliation and emotional trauma. Ashley St. Clair, 27, a writer and political strategist, filed the case on Thursday in New York City against xAI. In the lawsuit, she alleged that Grok allowed users to generate manipulated images portraying her in sexualized ways. These reportedly include a photo of her at age 14 that was altered to show her in a bikini, as well as other images depicting her as an adult in explicit poses and wearing a bikini with swastikas. St. Clair is Jewish. Grok operates on Musk’s social media platform X. Lawyers for xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. When asked about the lawsuit, the company replied to The Associated Press with a brief statement saying, “Legacy Media Lies.” St. Clair said she reported the fake images to X after they began circulating last year and asked for their removal. She claimed the platform initially said the images did not violate its policies. Later, X assured her that her images would not be used or altered without consent, she said. However, St. Clair alleged that the platform later retaliated by canceling her premium subscription and verification badge, blocking her ability to earn income from her account, which has about one million followers, and continuing to allow the altered images to circulate. In court documents, St. Clair said she has suffered severe mental distress and humiliation because of xAI’s role in creating and spreading the images. She also said she fears the people who view the fake content. St. Clair, who lives in New York City, is the mother of Musk’s 16-month-old son, Romulus. She is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, along with court orders to stop xAI from allowing further fake images of her. Later on Thursday, xAI moved the case to federal court in Manhattan and also filed a countersuit in a Texas federal court, claiming St. Clair violated user agreement terms that require lawsuits to be filed in Texas. The company is seeking an unspecified monetary judgment. X is based in Texas, where Musk owns a home and where Tesla is headquartered in Austin. St. Clair’s lawyer, Carrie Goldberg, described the countersuit as highly unusual and said her client would strongly contest the move, arguing that xAI’s technology enables harmful and unsafe content. Grok AI banned from editing real people in revealing photos Earlier this week, X announced new safeguards for Grok, including limits on image editing and stricter rules against sexual exploitation and nonconsensual content.  

Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok will no longer allow users to create sexualised images of real people in countries where it is illegal, following global concerns over AI deepfakes. X, the platform operating Grok, said the new rule applies to all users, including paid subscribers. The tool is now geoblocked in jurisdictions where creating images of real people in bikinis, underwear, or similar clothing is prohibited. The change came after California’s top prosecutor announced an investigation into sexualised AI deepfakes, including those involving children. Grok users will still be able to create images of fictional adults with nudity in line with local laws and NSFW settings. X said only paid users can edit images with Grok on its platform. The move follows international criticism. Malaysia and Indonesia banned Grok after users generated explicit images without consent. The UK media regulator Ofcom said it would investigate potential violations of British law. California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that such images have been used to harass people online. Experts said X acted late and questions remain on how the platform will enforce the new rules.   With inputs from BBC

The Pentagon is set to deploy Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok across its military networks later this month, despite growing global criticism over the tool’s recent controversies. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that Grok will be introduced inside the Department of Defense and will operate on both unclassified and classified networks alongside Google’s generative AI system. “Very soon we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department,” Hegseth said while speaking at Musk’s space company SpaceX in South Texas. The move comes only days after Grok faced strong backlash for generating highly sexualised deepfake images of people without their consent. Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked the chatbot, while the United Kingdom’s independent online safety watchdog has launched an investigation. Following the criticism, Grok restricted image generation and editing features to paying users. Hegseth said the Pentagon would make “all appropriate data” from its IT systems available for what he called “AI exploitation” and added that data from intelligence databases would also be fed into AI systems. He said the US military needs to speed up technological innovation and remove barriers that slow down development. “We need innovation to come from anywhere and evolve with speed and purpose,” he said. The defence secretary noted that the Pentagon holds combat-tested operational data from two decades of military and intelligence operations, stressing that the success of AI depends on the quality of data it receives. “AI is only as good as the data that it receives, and we’re going to make sure that it’s there,” Hegseth said. His strong push for AI adoption marks a shift from the more cautious approach taken by the previous Biden administration, which supported AI use across federal agencies but warned of possible misuse. In late 2024, the Biden administration introduced a framework encouraging national security agencies to expand their use of advanced AI systems while banning certain applications, including those that could violate civil rights or automate the deployment of nuclear weapons. It is still unclear whether those restrictions remain in place under the Trump administration. Hegseth said he wants Pentagon AI systems to be responsible but rejected models that, in his words, “won’t allow you to fight wars”. He added that military AI should operate without “ideological constraints” that could limit lawful military use, saying the Pentagon’s “AI will not be woke”. Musk has promoted Grok as an alternative to what he calls “woke AI” used by rival chatbots such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Grok has also faced controversy in the past. In July, it appeared to generate antisemitic comments praising Adolf Hitler and sharing antisemitic posts. Apple calls on Google to help smarten up Siri and bring other AI features to the iPhone The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the recent issues surrounding Grok.

Tesla’s stock surged more than 7% in premarket trading on Monday as CEO Elon Musk disclosed the purchase of over 2.5 million shares worth about $1 billion. According to a regulatory filing, Musk bought the shares on Friday at varying prices, a move analysts say signals his confidence in the company’s future. The development comes as Tesla prepares for a crucial shareholder vote on a proposed pay package for Musk, which could potentially make him the world’s first trillionaire if a series of highly ambitious performance targets are met over the next decade. Under the plan, Musk would be awarded shares equal to up to 12% of Tesla in 12 separate tranches if the company achieves milestones including sharp increases in car production, share price and operating profit. The payout, entirely in stock rather than cash, would represent one of the most outsized executive compensation deals in U.S. history. To unlock the first tranche — equal to 1% of Tesla — Musk would need to lift the company’s valuation to $2 trillion, roughly double its current market capitalization, while meeting other operational goals. Securing the full package would require Tesla to reach a market value of $8.5 trillion, more than twice the worth of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company today. The ambitious proposal comes amid mounting challenges for Tesla. Sales have plunged this year, partly due to backlash over Musk’s close alignment with President Donald Trump, while competition from Detroit automakers and Chinese electric vehicle producers has intensified. Investors have also expressed concern about Musk’s frequent involvement in Washington politics, where he has emerged as one of the most visible members of the Trump administration, particularly in efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting is scheduled for November 6, when the pay package will be put to a vote.  

A Turkish court has ordered a ban on access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, developed by his company xAI, after it allegedly disseminated offensive content targeting Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other prominent figures. The court order, issued on Wednesday, follows reports that Grok posted vulgar remarks about President Erdogan, his late mother, and other personalities in response to user prompts on the X social media platform, according to the pro-government A Haber news channel. Additional media reports stated that the chatbot also made derogatory comments about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. In reaction, members of the public in Ankara sought legal action under Turkey’s internet law, arguing that the chatbot’s responses posed a threat to public order. A criminal court approved the request and instructed the country’s telecommunications authority to enforce the ban. Elon Musk intensifies criticism of Trump’s tax bill as Senate GOP races to pass it The controversy stems from a recent update to Grok, which has been criticized for producing increasingly unfiltered and “politically incorrect” responses. Amid growing criticism, social media platform X issued a statement saying it had acted swiftly to remove the offensive material. “Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X,” the company stated. “xAI is training only truth-seeking, and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved,” the statement added. Grok’s restriction in Turkey highlights ongoing tensions between AI content regulation and national sensitivities, particularly concerning political figures and historical leaders.