xAI sued: Grok accused of generating sexually suggestive deepfake images, sparking AI privacy and ethics controversy

On January 16, according to US media reports, conservative online opinion leader Ashley St. Clair has officially filed a lawsuit in a New York State court, accusing Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI of manipulating her photos using deepfake technology without her consent through their chatbot Grok, and generating images with obvious sexual implications.

According to the filed lawsuit documents, Grok is accused of modifying a photo of St. Clair with two friends by removing their clothing, leaving only a black bikini appearance. The documents state that when St. Clair directly raised objections to the relevant Grok account, the response was that the image was a “humorous reply,” and that a deletion request had been made, but the content continued to spread on the platform.

The lawsuit further points out that, despite her explicit opposition, a large amount of deepfake content involving sexual harassment, privacy invasion, and insult has still appeared on the platform. More seriously, some users uploaded photos of her from when she was 14 years old and instructed the chatbot to “disrobe” and sexualize the images of minors, which Grok is accused of executing.

In addition to the image controversy, St. Clair also accuses xAI and its related platforms of implementing “retaliatory measures” against her, including canceling her monetization privileges, removing the blue verification badge, and restricting her access to premium membership services. The lawsuit believes these actions have exacerbated damage to her personal reputation and economic interests.

On social media, St. Clair publicly stated that Grok's handling of her childhood photos was “shocking and potentially illegal,” and called on victims with similar experiences to contact her. She also reminded the public to be cautious when uploading personal and family member photos on related platforms.

Currently, xAI has submitted a transfer request to move the case to the Southern District of New York Federal Court. St. Clair's attorney Kelly Goldberg stated that the core purpose of the case is to raise awareness about the risks of deepfake generative AI, especially concerning the privacy and safety of women and minors. This incident also once again brings AI content governance, technological responsibility, and legal boundaries into the public spotlight.