The EU is launching an investigation into X over Grok’s recent racist comments, while Poland’s government is considering shutting down the service entirely, which would represent a massive form of censorship.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote a letter addressed to EU tech boss Henna Virkkunen that Grok’s “offensive remarks” and “erratic and full of expletive-laden rants” on social media X could be a “major infringement” of the EU moderation law, the Digital Services Act.
However, Gawkowski is also considering shutting down the entire service in Poland. He stated that the country must have the legal authority to shut down platforms like X if they fail to comply with regulations regarding hate speech generated by artificial intelligence. This comes after the Grok chatbot, available on the X platform, reportedly insulted Polish left-liberal politicians, according to Polish outlet wPolityce.
Gawkowski expressed his dismay over the incident on RMF FM radio, stating, “I read with disgust what is happening and I have the impression that we are entering a higher level of hate speech, which is controlled by algorithms.”
He emphasized the danger of ignoring or downplaying such issues, asserting that it could have future consequences.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs plans to officially report the violation to the European Commission for investigation, which could lead to fines for X.
Gawkowski underscored that while artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent, freedom of speech remains a human right, not one belonging to AI.
He highlighted the current legislative gaps in both the EU and Poland, noting that existing regulations might not be sufficient to address algorithmic errors that fuel hate speech.
“If we report violations, and we will, and large platforms fail to comply, we must have legal options, but also the power to decide, for example, whether these platforms will be shut down,” Gawkowski said.
He stressed the need for future considerations to include the ability to disable platforms like X if they fail to combat hate speech or if AI gains more control than humans in fueling it.
Gawkowski’s remarks have ignited a strong reaction online, with many accusing him and the government of seeking to impose complete censorship.
PiS MP Paweł Jabłoński criticized Gawkowski on X, writing, “Yesterday, Comrade Krzysztof Gawkowski wanted to eliminate border defense groups. Today, he’s adding his intention to shut down social media because artificial intelligence insults Tusk.”
Adam Czarnecki also commented on the perceived double standard, stating, “Mr. Gawkowski says politicians should be able to shut down Twitter because we have ‘hate shows, like the one with Grok.’ So yes, publicly funded, daily hate shows on TVP, where Poles are referred to as ‘uneducated cattle,’ and Dorota Wysocka_schnepf constantly pushes new boundaries of propaganda, are no problem for the Minister. But Grok’s malfunctioning is reason enough to shut down the entire platform.”
Max Hübner, an internet user, echoed similar sentiments, calling Gawkowski a “Communist apparatchik” and stating,” X is one of the last places on the internet where total freedom of speech and exchange of opinions prevails. The communists and Tusk’s government hate it – so they want CENSORSHIP. We warned you.”
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