California Lawyer Common Rob Bonta has despatched a stop and desist letter to xAI, days after his workplace launched an official investigation into the corporate over experiences that Grok was producing nonconsensual
For those who’ll recall, xAI and Grok have been underneath fireplace for taking photos of actual people and placing them in revealing clothes like bikinis upon random customers’ requests.
Bonta’s workplace calls for that xAI instantly stop and desist from creating “digitized sexually express materials” when the depicted particular person didn’t consent to it or if the person is a minor. It additionally demanded that xAI cease “facilitating or aiding and abetting the creation… or publication of digitized sexually express materials” of nonconsenting people and individuals underneath 18 years of age.
X modified its insurance policies after the problem broke out and prevented the Grok account from with the ability to edit photos of actual individuals into revealing clothes. xAI additionally moved Grok’s image-generating options behind a paywall and geoblocked paying customers’ capability to edit photos of actual individuals into bikinis, however solely in areas the place it’s unlawful.
In his announcement, Bonta stated xAI developed a “spicy mode” for Grok to generate express content material and used it as a advertising level. The California AG additionally stated that Grok-generated sexual photos are getting used to harass each public figures and bizarre customers. “Most alarmingly, information experiences have described using Grok to change photos of youngsters to depict them in minimal clothes and sexual conditions,” Bonta’s announcement reads.
“The actions above violate California regulation, together with California Civil Code part 1708.86, California Penal Code sections 311 et seq. and 647(j)(4), and California Enterprise & Professions Code part 17200,” it stated. The state’s Division of Justice now expects to listen to from xAI on the steps it’s taking to deal with these points inside the subsequent 5 days.
xAI has been producing deepfake nonconsensual intimate photos used to harass girls & women throughout the web.
That is unacceptable. We’re demanding speedy solutions on their plan to cease the creation & unfold of this content material.
We’ll use all instruments at our disposal to maintain… pic.twitter.com/2elGTV0wRq— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) January 16, 2026
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/california-ag-sends-cease-and-desist-to-xai-over-groks-explicit-deepfakes-140000574.html?src=rss