A lawsuit involving three Tennessee teens has been filed against Elon Musk’s xAI, alleging Grok AI, the company’s chatbot, generated explicit images and videos involving minors. The Washington Post reported that the class action lawsuit accuses Musk and xAI leaders of knowing Grok would create AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with its “spicy mode.” The plaintiffs include two minors and one adult, Jane Doe 1, who claims explicit AI images of her and 18 other minors appeared on Discord, featuring familiar settings but manipulated into explicit poses.
The individual responsible, now arrested, allegedly used Jane Doe 1’s AI-generated CSAM in exchanges on Telegram, trading her files for other illicit content. The lawsuit blames Grok for creating the explicit images and criticizes xAI for not testing Grok’s safety and claims it’s defectively designed.
Following Grok’s release of explicit images, scrutiny mounted, leading to calls for an FTC investigation, an EU probe, and a warning from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. US legislation now allows victims of nonconsensual deepfakes to sue creators, with the Take It Down Act reaching effect in May. Although X tried limiting image edits on Grok, it’s still possible to alter uploaded images. X stated that anyone using Grok for illegal purposes will face consequences. X did not immediately comment.
Attorney Annika K. Martin, representing the victims, emphasized accountability for xAI and aims to address harm done to children. The lawsuit seeks damages and an order to bar xAI from continuing CSAM creation and distribution.