California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a cease-and-desist order to Elon Musk’s xAI, demanding the company prevent its AI chatbot Grok from generating sexualized deepfake images of children and non-consenting adults. The letter, sent Friday, follows sustained criticism over the chatbot’s ability to create nonconsensual sexualized content, including images of minors.
The cease-and-desist letter specifically demands that xAI prevent Grok from creating sexualized images of people who did not request such content or were minors when the image was created. The Attorney General’s office warned that failure to comply would constitute violations of California’s deepfake porn statutes, child sexual abuse image laws, unlawful recording regulations, and unfair business practice statutes. xAI was given until January 20 at 5 p.m. to comply with the order.
Earlier in the week, X (formerly Twitter), which is owned by Musk, announced it had implemented restrictions on Grok to address the concerns. According to X’s safety account, the platform deployed “technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis,” with restrictions applying to all users, including paid subscribers.
However, these measures proved inadequate. Business Insider testing on Thursday revealed that both X and the Grok app continued to generate sexualized images despite the announced restrictions. The AI chatbot has been facing mounting international backlash for its ability to “undress” images of real people and create revealing deepfakes without consent.
The legal and political pressure is intensifying globally. Ashley St. Clair, an influencer and mother of one of Musk’s children, filed a lawsuit against xAI on Thursday, alleging the AI generated sexually explicit deepfakes of her using childhood photos without consent. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the images as “disgusting” and “shameful” during a House of Commons meeting, while Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines have blocked access to Grok entirely, with no indication the bans have been lifted.
Bonta’s office announced Wednesday it is investigating “non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online.” When contacted for comment, xAI responded with an automated message stating only: “Legacy Media Lies.”
Key Quotes
We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers.
X’s safety account posted this statement on Wednesday, announcing restrictions on Grok. However, subsequent testing revealed these measures were ineffective, as the platform continued generating sexualized content despite the announced safeguards.
Legacy Media Lies.
This was xAI’s automated response to Business Insider’s request for comment, demonstrating the company’s dismissive stance toward media coverage of the controversy rather than addressing the serious allegations about child safety and non-consensual content.
disgusting and shameful
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer used these words to describe graphic images generated by Grok during a House of Commons meeting, reflecting the international political backlash against xAI’s AI chatbot and its content generation capabilities.
Our Take
This controversy exposes a fundamental tension in the AI industry between rapid innovation and responsible deployment. xAI’s apparent inability—or unwillingness—to implement effective safeguards before launching Grok’s image generation capabilities represents a failure of corporate responsibility that could have lasting consequences for the entire AI sector.
The company’s dismissive “Legacy Media Lies” response is particularly troubling, suggesting a lack of serious engagement with legitimate safety concerns. This stands in stark contrast to other AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which have invested heavily in safety research and content moderation.
The international blocking of Grok by multiple countries represents an unprecedented response that could foreshadow how governments worldwide will handle AI tools that fail to meet safety standards. This case may ultimately accelerate the push for mandatory AI safety testing and certification before public deployment, fundamentally changing how AI products reach market.
Why This Matters
This case represents a critical inflection point for AI regulation and accountability, particularly regarding generative AI’s potential for harm. As AI image generation technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, the ability to create convincing deepfakes poses serious threats to privacy, child safety, and consent.
California’s aggressive legal action signals a shift toward stricter enforcement of existing laws against AI companies, potentially setting precedent for how states regulate harmful AI applications. The international response—with multiple countries blocking access entirely—demonstrates growing global consensus that AI companies must implement effective safeguards before deployment.
For the AI industry, this controversy highlights the urgent need for robust content moderation and ethical guardrails in generative AI systems. The failure of xAI’s initial restrictions to prevent harmful content generation raises questions about whether current AI safety measures are sufficient. This case may accelerate calls for comprehensive federal AI regulation and could influence how other AI companies approach content safety, potentially impacting the development and deployment of image generation tools across the industry.
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