The European Commission is examining whether to ban AI-powered “nudification” apps that undress individuals in images without their consent, following public backlash over sexually explicit deepfake content generated and distributed through Grok on X, according to reporting by Politico.

Members of the European Parliament last week called for the tools to be prohibited under the bloc’s flagship AI Act, citing a proliferation of sexualized deepfake images created through the platform and hosted on X. While X announced changes aimed at reducing the spread of intimate fake content, Politico reported that the measures did not apply to users of Grok’s built-in assistant.

A Commission spokesperson told Politico that the executive is “looking into the matter.” Lawmakers argue the apps should be added to the Act’s list of banned practices, which since February 2025 prohibits certain AI uses deemed harmful to public safety, fundamental rights, or livelihoods.

Those specific bans do not currently include non-consensual sexual deepfakes or nudification tools. Irish liberal MEP Michael McNamara, who co-leads Parliament’s AI group, told Politico that the Grok controversy demonstrated the need to expand the prohibited list. “It’s clearly a harm that was envisaged to be banned,” he said, noting that negotiators did not anticipate the rapid spread of intimate synthetic media when the law was finalized in 2023.

Experts cited by Politico said the omission reflects political reluctance to expand the scope of bans during negotiations. The Act’s only explicit measure on deepfakes is a labeling requirement intended to help users recognize synthetic content, set to take effect in August 2026.

The Commission must conduct annual reviews of the prohibited list and could propose amendments, though such a move could reopen contentious negotiations. An alternative path, Politico reported, would be enforcement under provisions governing general-purpose AI models, which require companies to mitigate systemic risks — including “non-consensual intimate images” — potentially allowing the EU’s AI Office to formally engage with X.

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