The mother of one of Elon Musk's children, Ashley St. Clair, has filed a lawsuit against Musk's AI company, xAI, claiming that its Grok chatbot facilitated the creation of sexually exploitative deepfake images of her. These images, according to St. Clair, have led to significant humiliation and emotional distress. St. Clair, who is 27 years old and identifies as a writer and political strategist, alleges that the deepfakes include an altered version of a photo of her at age 14, transformed to depict her in a bikini, as well as other adult images that feature her in sexualized positions, some adorned with swastikas. St. Clair, who is Jewish, has described the emotional pain caused by these violations of her image.
Grok operates on Musk's social media platform, X, which recently faced global backlash over the propagation of sexualized images involving women and children. In response to the criticism, X announced that it would implement new policies to prevent users from editing photographs of real individuals in revealing attire where such practices are unlawful. This initiative was aimed at addressing concerns surrounding the distribution of inappropriate content on its platform.
St. Clair reported the deepfake images to X last year and requested their removal. Initially, the platform's response indicated that these images did not breach its policies. However, after further communication, X assured her that it would prevent the unauthorized use and alteration of her likeness. Despite this promise, St. Clair claims that X retaliated against her by revoking her premium subscription and verification checkmark, restricting her ability to monetize her account, which boasts one million followers. She alleges that degrading, fake images of her continue to circulate on the platform.
In the lawsuit filed in New York City, St. Clair expressed that she has endured serious psychological pain and distress as a result of xAI's involvement in manipulating and disseminating these images. She described her ongoing humiliation and fear stemming from the existence of these deepfakes. St. Clair is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress and other related claims, in addition to seeking court orders that would prevent xAI from generating further deepfake images of her.
Following the lawsuit's filing, xAI transferred the case to federal court in Manhattan while simultaneously countersuing St. Clair in the Northern District of Texas. The countersuit alleges that St. Clair violated her user agreement with xAI, asserting that any legal action against the company must occur in federal court in Texas, and is seeking undisclosed monetary compensation from her. The legal maneuvers highlight the complex legal landscape surrounding digital image rights and the implications of AI technologies.
Carrie Goldberg, St. Clair's attorney, criticized xAI's countersuit as an unusual and aggressive legal tactic. She emphasized that St. Clair will vigorously defend her case in New York, asserting that her claims regarding xAI’s production of nonconsensual sexually explicit images represent a public nuisance and highlight the dangers of this technology.
As part of its response to the allegations, X stated that it would impose additional stringent measures on Grok, such as limiting image creation and editing capabilities to users with paid accounts, a decision purportedly aimed at enhancing accountability. X reiterated its commitment to a zero-tolerance policy toward child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content, pledging to swiftly remove any such content and notify law enforcement regarding accounts associated with child sexual abuse materials.
