xAI is being sued by teens who say Grok created CSAM using their photos

xAI, already under intense scrutiny globally due to numerous reports alleging that its AI, Grok, repeatedly generated sexualized imagery of minors, is now facing a class-action lawsuit. Three teenagers have initiated legal proceedings against xAI in California, claiming that Grok utilized their photographs to produce child exploitation material.

Court documents reveal that last December, one of the girls discovered that AI-generated images and videos depicting her and other underage individuals were being circulated. These images were presented "in familiar settings, but altered into sexually explicit poses." These visuals were reportedly disseminated across platforms like Discord and Telegram and allegedly served as a "bartering tool" for acquiring additional CSAM. Law enforcement officials investigating the matter informed the girls' parents that xAI's Grok was responsible for creating these images, according to the lawsuit.

The three plaintiffs, residents of Tennessee identified as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3, have experienced "severe emotional distress," states the filing. "Their lives have been devastated by the profound invasion of privacy, loss of dignity, and compromised personal safety resulting from the creation and spread of this CSAM," their lawyers assert in the complaint. "xAI's financial gains, stemming from the increased adoption of its image and video generation product, came at the expense of these individuals' well-being. The plaintiffs will forever bear the burden of knowing their CSAM images and videos could continue to be trafficked and exchanged online by child sex predators."

While the current lawsuit specifically names three individuals, the complaint suggests its scope could expand to include "at least thousands of minors" whose images were similarly manipulated by Grok into sexually explicit content. The legal action contends that xAI has violated several statutes, including those prohibiting the creation and dissemination of child abuse material.

xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. The company is also confronting multiple investigations across the United States and Europe concerning Grok's alleged generation of non-consensual nude imagery. Researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate estimated in January that Grok had produced millions of sexualized images, with approximately 23,000 appearing to depict children.

Elon Musk, xAI's CEO, who previously highlighted Grok's "spicy" capabilities, has maintained that he was "unaware of any naked underage images generated by Grok." In January, xAI announced measures to prevent users from employing Grok to modify photos of real individuals into bikinis and restricted Grok's image generation feature to paying subscribers.