Mother of one of Elon Musk's children sues xAI over explicit images

Ashley St. Clair, American author and mother of one of Elon Musk's children, on Thursday sued his artificial intelligence (AI) firm xAI for generating sexually explicit images of her without her consent.

 

In her lawsuit, St. Clair claims that xAI chatbot Grok is “unreasonably dangerous as designed” and constitutes a public nuisance. She also sought a temporary restraining order to stop xAI’s Grok from creating images that undress her.

What is the case about?

St. Clair, a conservative influencer, said some users asked the chatbot to change her photos without her permission, and Grok obliged. She found this shocking and upsetting.

 

 

She publicly told the chatbot that she did not agree to her photos being changed or used in this way. The chatbot replied, saying it was meant as a joke and that it would not use or change her images again without her clear permission. However, she claims this promise was not kept.

 

She also said that some users found old photos of her from when she was a minor and asked the chatbot to put them in a bikini, and the changes were made.

 

The case further alleges that the chatbot created many degrading images of her as an adult. Some of these images included hateful messages and Nazi symbols. "In one image, St. Clair, who is Jewish, is stripped and put in a string bikini coveredwith swastikas," the complaint said.

What is xAI doing?

Musk's xAI on Wednesday announced that its chatbot Grok will no longer be able to create or edit sexually explicit images of real people on the social media platform X. "We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing, such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers," the company said.

 

The company also said that the image generation feature will only be available to paid users to enhance accountability.

 

The move came after weeks of public criticism, political pressure, and regulatory investigations in several countries amid growing use of the platform to generate deepfake images of women and girls in explicit situations without their consent.

Grok under scrutiny in several countries

Grok is currently under investigation in multiple countries. According to Reuters, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched a probe into xAI over concerns that Grok is being used to create and spread non-consensual sexually explicit images online.

 

Earlier this week, Malaysia and Indonesia became the first countries to block Grok over concerns related to AI-generated deepfakes. The platform is also under scrutiny in India, where the government has reportedly sought clarification from X on the issue.