Mother of Musk's son sues xAI over Grok-generated explicit images
What's the story
Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, has filed a lawsuit against his company, xAI. The legal action comes after St. Clair alleged that xAI's Grok artificial intelligence tool generated explicit images of her, including one depicting her as underage. She is seeking punitive and compensatory damages for the alleged harm caused by these deepfake images.
Legal allegations
Lawsuit claims Grok continued generating explicit images
St. Clair's lawsuit, filed in New York's Supreme Court, alleges that Grok continued generating explicit images despite its promise to stop. The tool is used on X and has been under fire for being used to create sexualized images of women and children. In response to public outcry, the company said it would "geoblock" users' ability "to generate images of real people in bikinis, underwear, and similar attire via Grok account and in Grok in X" in countries where illegal.
Legal representation
St. Clair's representation and her claims against xAI
St. Clair is represented by Carrie Goldberg, a victims' rights lawyer known for holding tech companies accountable for similar issues. Goldberg claimed that "xAI is not a reasonably safe product and is a public nuisance," adding that "nobody has borne the brunt more than Ashley St. Clair." The lawsuit alleges that xAI harassed St. Clair by creating and distributing nonconsensual, abusive images of her on X platform.
Retaliation claims
Lawsuit alleges retaliation and additional image generation
The lawsuit also claims that the social media company retaliated against St. Clair by demonetizing her X account and generating more explicit images of her. These included unlawful depictions of her in sexual positions, virtually nude, and as a naked child. The filing states that "Grok and xAI also had explicit knowledge that St. Clair was not consenting to the creation or dissemination of these images because of her requests for removal."
Image alterations
Grok allegedly added tattoos and swastikas to St. Clair's images
The lawsuit also claims that Grok responded to user requests by adding tattoos on St. Clair's body, including "Elon's whore." The AI tool even digitally dressed her in a bikini decorated with swastikas, the filing states. These actions have further fueled the legal battle against xAI and its controversial AI tool, Grok.
Financial implications
Lawsuit highlights financial benefits from explicit content
The lawsuit also alleges that X "financially benefited from the creation and dissemination of nonconsensual, realistic, sexualized deepfake content depicting Plaintiff as a minor and adult." It claims that "xAI is directly liable for the harassment and explicit images created by its own chatbot, Grok." Musk has previously said users of his app are responsible for the images they create.
Counter lawsuit
X countersues St. Clair over lawsuit jurisdiction
In a counter move, X has sued St. Clair, claiming she cannot sue the company in New York but must do so in Texas as per its terms of service. The company has also emphasized its "zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content." The legal battle continues to unfold as both parties stand their ground on this contentious issue involving AI technology and personal privacy rights.