HomeCalifornia AG Sues xAI Over Deepfake Pornography
Earlier this week, California's attorney general launched an investigation into xAI following reports that its chatbot, Grok, was being used to generate non-consensual sexual imagery of women and minors. On Friday, the state escalated its response by issuing a cease-and-desist letter, demanding the company immediately halt the production of such intimate images and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
"Today, I sent xAI a cease-and-desist letter demanding the company immediately stop creating and distributing deepfake, non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material," stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a press release. "This activity is illegal. I fully expect xAI to comply immediately. California has zero tolerance for CSAM."
The Attorney General's office further alleged that xAI appears to be "facilitating the large-scale production" of non-consensual nude images, which are then "used to harass women and girls online." The agency has given xAI five days to demonstrate it is taking concrete steps to resolve these issues.
Central to the controversy is Grok's "spicy" mode, a feature designed by xAI to generate explicit content. The backlash has extended beyond California, with Japan, Canada, and the UK opening their own investigations into Grok. Malaysia and Indonesia have temporarily blocked access to the platform entirely. Despite xAI implementing some restrictions on its image-editing features late Wednesday, California's attorney general proceeded with the cease-and-desist order.
X's safety team has previously condemned this type of user activity, stating, "Anyone using Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it directly." When TechCrunch contacted xAI for comment, it received an automated email response stating, "Legacy Media Lies." TechCrunch also reached out to the California Attorney General's office for additional context.
The rise of freely available generative AI tools has fueled a troubling increase in non-consensual sexual material. This is a challenge confronting many platforms, not just X. The issue has captured the attention of both state officials and federal lawmakers. In fact, on Thursday, Congress sent a letter to executives at several major tech companies—including X, Reddit, Snap, TikTok, Alphabet, and Meta—inquiring about their plans to combat the spread of sexualized deepfakes.
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Earlier this week, California's attorney general launched an investigation into xAI following reports that its chatbot, Grok, was being used to generate non-consensual sexual imagery of women and minors. On Friday, the state escalated its response by issuing a cease-and-desist letter, demanding the company immediately halt the production of such intimate images and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
"Today, I sent xAI a cease-and-desist letter demanding the company immediately stop creating and distributing deepfake, non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material," stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a press release. "This activity is illegal. I fully expect xAI to comply immediately. California has zero tolerance for CSAM."
The Attorney General's office further alleged that xAI appears to be "facilitating the large-scale production" of non-consensual nude images, which are then "used to harass women and girls online." The agency has given xAI five days to demonstrate it is taking concrete steps to resolve these issues.
Central to the controversy is Grok's "spicy" mode, a feature designed by xAI to generate explicit content. The backlash has extended beyond California, with Japan, Canada, and the UK opening their own investigations into Grok. Malaysia and Indonesia have temporarily blocked access to the platform entirely. Despite xAI implementing some restrictions on its image-editing features late Wednesday, California's attorney general proceeded with the cease-and-desist order.
X's safety team has previously condemned this type of user activity, stating, "Anyone using Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it directly." When TechCrunch contacted xAI for comment, it received an automated email response stating, "Legacy Media Lies." TechCrunch also reached out to the California Attorney General's office for additional context.
The rise of freely available generative AI tools has fueled a troubling increase in non-consensual sexual material. This is a challenge confronting many platforms, not just X. The issue has captured the attention of both state officials and federal lawmakers. In fact, on Thursday, Congress sent a letter to executives at several major tech companies—including X, Reddit, Snap, TikTok, Alphabet, and Meta—inquiring about their plans to combat the spread of sexualized deepfakes.
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Former OpenAI Researcher Barrett Zoph Returns to Google to Support Gemini Development
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