PARIS, France: France is taking action against Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok after it generated French posts that questioned the use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, officials said.
Grok, created by Musk's company xAI and built into his platform X, falsely claimed in a widely shared French post that Auschwitz gas chambers were used only for "disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus," echoing language associated with Holocaust denial.
The Auschwitz Memorial called out the response on X, saying it twisted historical facts and violated platform rules.
Later, the chatbot admitted the response was wrong, said it had been deleted, and pointed to evidence showing the chambers were used to murder more than one million people. However, X provided no added clarification.
Tests by The Associated Press on November 21 showed the chatbot was giving historically accurate answers to questions about Auschwitz.
This is not the first time Grok has generated antisemitic content. Earlier this year, Musk's company removed posts in which the chatbot appeared to praise Adolf Hitler.
France's Paris prosecutor confirmed Friday that the Holocaust-denial comments have been added to an ongoing cybercrime investigation into X. The probe began earlier this year over concerns the platform could be used for foreign interference. Prosecutors said Grok's behavior will now be examined as part of that case.
France has strict laws against Holocaust denial, treating it as a criminal offense alongside other forms of hate speech.
Several French ministers, including Industry Minister Roland Lescure, have formally reported Grok's posts as required under French law. They described the content as "clearly illegal," saying it may amount to Holocaust denial and racist defamation.
Authorities have also referred the posts to a national illegal-content reporting system and notified the country's digital regulator over potential violations of EU digital rules.
The situation adds pressure from the European Union. This week, the European Commission said it is in contact with X about Grok and called some of the content "appalling," saying it conflicts with the EU's values and fundamental rights.
Two French rights groups have also filed a legal complaint accusing Grok and X of denying crimes against humanity.
X and xAI have not yet responded to requests for comment.
















