Adedokun Waliyu 
Billionaire Elon Musk has been summoned for a voluntary interview in Paris as part of a French probe into his social media platform X, though it remains unclear if he will appear.
French authorities issued the summons as part of an investigation into allegations that X’s algorithm was used to interfere in French politics. The probe was later expanded to include scrutiny of X’s AI chatbot, Grok, over the dissemination of Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes.
French prosecutors previously searched X’s Paris offices, an action the company — which has denied any wrongdoing — described as politicised and an abusive judicial move. Authorities also summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for questioning as key figures managing the platform at the time of the events, a move Musk criticised as a political attack.
Yaccarino later stepped down from her role as CEO after two years leading the company.
Prosecutors also invited X employees to appear as witnesses, noting that failure to attend would not halt the ongoing investigation. No details were provided about the exact time or location of Musk’s scheduled interview.
The investigation focuses on several suspected criminal offences, including complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity. The company has maintained that the probe is politically motivated.
‘Serious Concerns’
The case is part of a broader international backlash against Grok after reports showed that users could generate sexualised images of women and children using simple prompts. A watchdog group estimated that millions of such images were created within a short period.
Authorities in the United Kingdom also launched investigations into X and its affiliated AI company over concerns about compliance with personal data laws in relation to the creation of deepfake content.
Similarly, the European Union opened its own probe into the generation of sexualised deepfake images involving women and minors.
