PARIS: Billionaire Elon Musk has been summoned for a voluntary interview in Paris as part of an ongoing French investigation into his social media platform X, although it remains unclear whether he will appear.
French authorities issued the summons in February as part of a probe launched in January 2025 into allegations that X’s algorithm was used to interfere in French political processes. The investigation was later expanded to include concerns over the spread of Holocaust denial content and sexually explicit deepfake material generated by the platform’s AI chatbot Grok.
Paris prosecutors also previously searched X’s offices in the French capital, an action the company strongly condemned as “politicized raids” and an “abusive judicial act.” X has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
At the time of the initial summons, prosecutors also invited Musk and then-CEO Linda Yaccarino for voluntary questioning in their roles as de facto and de jure heads of the platform. Musk dismissed the move as a “political attack,” while Yaccarino later stepped down as CEO in July last year.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has also summoned several X employees to testify between April 20 and 24. Officials said the investigation would continue regardless of whether the company representatives attend voluntary interviews.
Authorities have not disclosed the exact time or location of Musk’s expected appearance.
The probe reportedly focuses on multiple suspected offences, including complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity.
X has rejected the allegations, calling the investigation “politically motivated.”
The case is part of a wider global backlash over concerns linked to Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s company xAI, which is integrated into X.
Investigations have raised concerns after reports that users could generate sexualised images using simple prompts, including content involving minors. A report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) estimated that millions of sexualised images were generated in a short period, including content involving children.
Separately, regulators in the United Kingdom and the European Union have also launched investigations into X and xAI over potential violations of data protection laws and the generation of harmful AI-generated content.
Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov also criticized the French investigation, accusing authorities of using criminal probes to suppress free speech and privacy—claims echoed by X in its response.
As the investigation expands, authorities in France and other jurisdictions continue to scrutinize the intersection of AI tools, content moderation, and platform accountability.
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