xAI sues Minnesota over AI nudification ban; law takes effect Aug 1
Elon Musk's xAI, now owned by SpaceX, filed a federal lawsuit challenging Minnesota's ban on non-consensual AI-generated intimate imagery. In the complaint, filed July 28 in federal court, xAI's attorneys argued the statute imposes an overbroad, content-based ban on free speech and the tools of visual expression. The law, set to take effect August 1, allows for damages of $500,000 per illegal access or use.
Minnesota's ban—the first of its kind in the U.S.—prohibits AI nudification and allows affected parties to sue platforms that allow the technology. The bill passed nearly unanimously: 132-1 in the House and 65-0 in the Senate. The law was spearheaded by state Senator Erin Maye Quade after a man created sexualized images of over 80 women without their consent.
xAI argued in its filing that the law is overly broad, noting that Minnesota's definition of intimate part includes ordinary depictions of men without shirts, people in shorts or swimsuits, and other body parts routinely displayed in public. The company also argues existing federal law (the TAKE IT DOWN Act) and Minnesota state law already prohibit nonconsensual deepfakes with nudity.
xAI has announced it will disable Grok's image-editing feature for Minnesota users. Approximately 117 million people had used Grok as of March 2026. This case is shaping up as a critical test of whether states can effectively regulate harmful AI uses without federal guidance, and the outcome could influence how other states draft AI legislation.
Sources
- Primary source
- SpaceX's xAI sues Minnesota over law to ban 'nudify' apps
“Attorneys for xAI wrote that the statute imposes an overbroad, content-based ban on free speech and the tools of visual expression in a clumsy attempt to prohibit nudification”
- Minnesota ban on AI nudification challenged in court
“Minnesota's ban—the first of its kind in the U.S.—prohibits AI nudification technology and allows affected parties to sue platforms that allow nudification for damages”
- xAI files lawsuit challenging Minnesota nudification ban
“xAI strictly prohibits its users from generating nude or sexualized images of people without their consent and has indeed filed suit against users who evade its extensive technological blockers”
- AI Platform XAI Sues Minnesota Attorney General Over Anti-Deepfake Law
“xAI said it would disable Grok's image-editing feature for Minnesotans”