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Elon Musk's xAI sues Minnesota over AI 'nudification' law
Elon Musk’s artificial‑intelligence firm, xAI (formerly SpaceXAI), has filed a 38‑page federal lawsuit against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison seeking to block the state’s new HF 1606 law that bans “nudification” technology – AI tools that generate realistic, non‑consensual nude images of real people. The legislation, signed by Governor Tim Walz and slated to take effect on 1 August 2026, creates civil penalties of up to $500,000 for each violation and defines “intimate part” so broadly that it would cover body parts commonly displayed in public, such as inner thighs, breasts or bare‑chested men.
xAI argues the law is an overbroad, content‑based restriction that violates the First Amendment, lacks a “safe‑harbor” for companies that have implemented strict safeguards, and would force the company to curb legitimate uses of its Grok chatbot and Grok Imagine image‑editing features. Minnesota officials say the law aims to protect individuals’ dignity and prevent harm.
Governor Walz responded on X with “See you in court, creep,” while Ellison warned that “AI nudification robs the target of their dignity and can cause immense harm.” The case is the first test of how far U.S. states can go in regulating AI‑generated deepfakes.
Entities
Elon Musk · Grok · High Court of England and Wales · Jess Asato · Keith Ellison · Minnesota · Tim Walz · xAI · xAI (SpaceXAI)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Asato is seeking a court order requiring xAI to implement effective and permanent technical measures to prevent Grok from creating non‑consensual sexualised images of her. www.rappler.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Jess Asato has filed a lawsuit in London's High Court against Elon Musk's xAI for misuse of private information and breach of data protection law. www.rappler.com · uk.news.yahoo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Grok is distributed via Musk’s platform X and is under regulatory probes in several countries over the creation of non‑consensual sexualised images. www.rappler.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Grok was trained with internal prompts that included “no restrictions on adult sexual content or offensive content” and “no restrictions on fictional adult sexual content with dark or violent themes”. www.rappler.com · uk.news.yahoo.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The lawsuit is the first case to apply UK data‑protection and privacy law to an AI developer. www.rappler.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Elon Musk’s xAI has not responded to requests for comment about the allegations. www.rappler.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The lawsuit alleges that Grok generated fake sexualised images of Asato, including a video depicting her being chloroformed and prepared for sexual assault. www.rappler.com · uk.news.yahoo.com
- [● 17 SOURCES] The law imposes civil penalties of up to $500,000 per violation. www.kaaltv.com · webstat.net · cheddar.com · gizmodo.com · abcnews.com · +12 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] xAI asserts the law violates First Amendment free‑speech protections. webstat.net · cheddar.com · gizmodo.com · abcnews.com · wtop.com · +11 more
- [● 17 SOURCES] Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said AI‑generated nude images are “appalling” and that the state will see xAI in court. www.kaaltv.com · webstat.net · cheddar.com · gizmodo.com · abcnews.com · +12 more
- [● 17 SOURCES] xAI says it already prohibits users from generating non‑consensual nude images. www.kaaltv.com · webstat.net · cheddar.com · gizmodo.com · abcnews.com · +12 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] The law’s definition of “intimate part” would criminalise ordinary depictions such as people in swimsuits or shirts. webstat.net · cheddar.com · gizmodo.com · abcnews.com · wtop.com · +11 more