xAI sues Minnesota over ban on AI nudification tools

Elon Musk’s xAI sued Minnesota in federal court over a first-in-the-nation law banning “nudification” technology on websites and apps. The measure, signed in May and set to take effect Saturday, targets tools that use AI to create fake nude images of real people.

In a 38-page lawsuit, xAI said it does not dispute Minnesota’s interest in stopping the distribution of nonconsensual AI-generated nude images, but argued the statute reaches constitutionally protected images and video. The company said the law lacks a safe harbor for good-faith prevention efforts, can cover images created with consent or by the person depicted, defines “intimate part” too broadly, and subjects violations to a penalty of $500,000 per violation.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said AI nudification is appalling and can cause immense emotional, personal, and professional harm. xAI said Grok’s terms of service prohibit illegal, harmful, abusive or privacy-violating uses, including nudifying or sexually explicit alterations, and said it enforces the rules through suspensions, terminations and reports of suspected child sexual abuse content.