Elon Musk’s AI Company Sued Over Deepfakes
In a striking legal action, Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s AI company, xAI, regarding the generation of sexually explicit deepfake images through its Grok chatbot. St. Clair alleges that these images have caused her significant humiliation and emotional distress.
The lawsuit, submitted in New York City, claims that Grok enabled users to create a series of degrading and inappropriate images of St. Clair, including an altered photograph of her as a 14-year-old in a bikini, and other edits depicting her in highly sexualized poses adorned with swastikas, an affront considering her Jewish heritage. This troubling case highlights concerns over the misuse of AI technologies and the potential damage inflicted upon individuals through such digital manipulations.
Following widespread international backlash regarding the issue of sexualized deepfake images targeting women and children, Musk’s social media platform X announced restrictions on Grok’s capabilities, prohibiting the creation of such images where it is deemed illegal. In response to inquiries about the lawsuit, xAI referred to St. Clair’s claims as “Legacy Media Lies,” reflecting a dismissive stance toward the serious concerns raised by the plaintiff.
St. Clair reported that upon discovering these deepfake images, she promptly requested their removal from the X platform. Initially, her complaints were met with the assertion that the images did not violate X’s content policies. However, after further engagement, the platform allegedly promised to cease the use of her likeness without her consent. St. Clair claims that, contrary to this promise, X retaliated by removing her premium subscription and verification status, thus impeding her ability to monetize her following of one million users while allowing the continued presence of derogatory images.
Expressing the emotional toll this situation has had on her, St. Clair mentioned in her legal filings the profound mental anguish she endures due to the perpetuation of these digitally altered images. Her statement underscores the urgent need for accountability in the rapidly evolving realm of AI technologies, particularly when it comes to consent and personal representation.
Furthermore, the lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress and aims to obtain a court order to prohibit xAI from generating more harmful content involving her likeness. In a twist, xAI opted to transfer St. Clair’s lawsuit to federal court in Manhattan, claiming violations of user agreement terms that mandate disputes to be addressed in federal court in Texas, where xAI is based.
St. Clair’s legal counsel, Carrie Goldberg, condemned the countersuit as an unprecedented “jolting” tactic in response to the claims and emphasized the earnestness of St. Clair’s situation. She asserted that no matter the jurisdiction, the core issues related to the creation of non-consensual explicit images are likely to be recognized as an ongoing public nuisance and an unsafe product.
In its commitment to address these issues, X announced additional protective measures for Grok, including the restriction of image creation to paid accounts in an effort to enhance accountability. They reiterated a zero-tolerance stance toward child exploitation and non-consensual content, underscoring the critical need for technology companies to uphold ethical standards in their operations.