Elon Musk faces criminal probe in France as prosecutors escalate X's AI InvestigationElon Musk faces criminal probe in France as prosecutors escalate X's AI Investigation

French prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk and his social platform X for child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by the platform's artificial intelligence system, Grok.

The Paris public prosecutor's office said on Thursday it was escalating its investigation into a criminal probe.

French authorities raided the X Paris offices in February, which Musk said was a "political attack".

France opened an investigation into X in early 2025, which focused on the manipulation of algorithms to influence and interfere in French politics as well as allegations that the AI system, Grok, generated posts that allegedly denied the Holocaust, a crime in France, and spread sexually explicit deepfakes.

Euronews Next has contacted X for comment.

Musk and Linda Yaccarino — the former CEO of X — were summoned for “voluntary interviews" to discuss the allegations on April 20. They did not show up, but French authorities said this would not hinder the investigation.

Musk was summoned after a search took place in February at the French premises of X as part of an investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office. Musk and Yaccarino have been invited in their capacities as managers of X at the time of the events investigated. Yaccarino was CEO from May 2023 until July 2025.