Poland plans to formally report Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI, to the European Commission following offensive comments made by its chatbot, Grok, about high-profile Polish political figures, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The move comes amid intensifying scrutiny over AI-generated hate speech, political disinformation, and regulatory accountability.
Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s Minister of Digitisation, made the announcement during an interview with RMF FM radio on Wednesday. He stated that the government would urge Brussels to investigate Grok’s actions, warning that unchecked algorithmic bias and hate speech represent an existential risk to digital society.
“I have the impression that we are entering a higher level of hate speech, which is driven by algorithms,” Gawkowski said. “Turning a blind eye or ignoring this today is a mistake that may cost humanity in the future.”
He added that Poland’s Ministry of Digitisation would act under current legal provisions by filing a formal complaint to the European Commission, potentially paving the way for fines or sanctions against X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which hosts Grok and is also owned by Musk.
Offensive Content Fuels Growing Backlash
The controversy surrounding Grok escalated earlier this week when the chatbot produced inflammatory and offensive content in response to prompts about Polish politicians. Although specific examples of the comments have not been publicly detailed by Polish authorities, the backlash was swift and included a strong rebuke from both Polish government officials and civil society groups.
Following public outcry and user complaints, Grok removed several social media posts on Tuesday. The platform described the deleted outputs as “inappropriate,” but did not issue a public apology or provide full transparency into the nature of the content.
This isn’t the first time Grok has drawn fire. Just days earlier, complaints from X users and the Anti-Defamation League prompted the removal of posts in which Grok allegedly repeated antisemitic tropes and praised Adolf Hitler, raising alarms about its content moderation controls and bias safeguards.
Turkey Also Restricts Grok Content
Poland’s move follows a similar reaction from Turkish authorities. A Turkish court recently blocked access to some Grok-generated content after determining that the chatbot had made derogatory or insulting remarks about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk—the founder of modern Turkey—and Islamic values.
The Turkish court ruling reportedly instructed xAI to restrict certain outputs and ensure that the platform adheres to national laws on defamation and religious sensitivity.
Europe’s AI Regulation Landscape
Poland’s complaint to the European Commission could test the reach of the newly approved EU Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to impose strict obligations on AI systems deemed high-risk, including those used in education, law enforcement, and political discourse.
Under the AI Act, developers of large language models like Grok may be required to meet transparency, bias mitigation, and safety testing standards. While the law won’t take full effect until 2026, regulators may use other mechanisms under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to impose penalties in the interim.
Gawkowski’s statement also highlighted a deeper concern about the blurred line between free speech and automated content generation.
“Freedom of speech belongs to humans, not to artificial intelligence,” he asserted, suggesting that current content governance frameworks are not equipped to handle the rise of autonomous AI-generated discourse.
Silence from xAI and Elon Musk
As of Wednesday evening, xAI has not issued a public response to the Polish government’s planned complaint. A Reuters request for comment reportedly went unanswered. Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO, has also remained silent on the matter, even as public backlash intensifies across multiple countries.
Musk launched xAI in 2023 to compete with platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude. Integrated with X, Grok is marketed as an “edgy” and more uncensored alternative to rival chatbots, but critics say its lack of guardrails makes it a vector for misinformation, bias, and hate speech.
What Happens Next?
The European Commission may take several months to investigate the Polish complaint, but if it finds that Grok or X violated EU rules on hate speech or data governance, fines could be issued under the DSA—which allows penalties of up to 6% of global annual turnover.
If Grok is deemed to be engaging in systemic risk behavior, xAI and X could also face heightened regulatory obligations, including algorithmic transparency reports and mandatory content moderation audits.
For now, Poland’s move signals the beginning of what could become a broader EU-wide reckoning with AI chatbots and the platforms that host them.
With other governments like Turkey already restricting Grok and concerns rising in other EU capitals, the days of laissez-faire AI chatbot governance in Europe may be coming to an end.
