Three teens from Tennessee are suing Elon Musk’s xAI, saying the company’s Grok chatbot was used to create sexualized AI images and videos of them when they were minors.
According to the lawsuit, Grok’s “spicy mode” made it possible to generate child sexual abuse material, and xAI’s leaders allegedly knew about the risks when they launched the feature.
The case was filed on Monday as a proposed class action. It involves two minors and one adult who was underage at the time of the alleged incidents. One of the plaintiffs, called Jane Doe 1, says she discovered in December that explicit AI-made images of herself and at least 18 other minors were being shared on Discord. The lawsuit says some of those files used her real face and body in familiar settings, but changed into sexually explicit poses.
The person accused of creating and sharing the content has already been arrested. The lawsuit says he used the AI-generated images of Jane Doe 1 as a way to trade for sexual content involving other minors in Telegram groups with hundreds of users. It also claims that the explicit material involving all three victims was made using Grok.
The lawsuit argues that xAI did not properly test the safety of Grok’s features and says the chatbot was flawed by design. It also claims the company failed to stop the creation of illegal content.
Grok and Musk have already faced heavy criticism after the chatbot spread explicit AI-generated images across X, including content involving both adults and minors. That led to calls for an FTC investigation in the United States, a probe by the European Union, and public concern from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Lawmakers have also started responding to the rise of AI deepfakes. In January, the Senate passed a bill that would let victims of nonconsensual deepfakes sue the people who made them. The Take It Down Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2025, will make it a crime to distribute nonconsensual AI-generated deepfakes once it takes effect in May.
Although X has tried to make image editing with Grok more difficult, reports say users can still manipulate uploaded images on the platform. X has said that anyone who uses Grok to create illegal content will face the same consequences as someone who uploads illegal material directly. The company did not immediately comment on the latest report.
One of the lawyers for the victims, Annika K. Martin of Lieff Cabraser, said the case is about children whose school and family photos were turned into child sexual abuse material by a major AI company and then shared among predators. She said the legal team plans to hold xAI responsible for the harm caused.
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The lawsuit is asking for financial damages for victims and a court order that would stop xAI from creating or spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
