Teens sue xAI for Grok's reported sexual image generation issues
Three Jane Does, two under 18, filed a lawsuit against xAI yesterday about the generation of child sex abuse material (CSAM) on Grok, Elon Musk's AI tool.
"Like a rag doll brought to life through the dark arts, this child can be manipulated into any pose, however sick, however fetishized, however unlawful," the complaint states. It goes on to allege that while other AI companies recognize the dangers of AI and put up guardrails to prevent child sex predators from using them, "xAI did not."
"Instead, xAI — and its founder Elon Musk — saw a business opportunity: an opportunity to profit off the sexual predation of real people, including children," the suit, which is a class action, states.
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In January, Mashable reported that xAI admitted that Grok generates images of "minors in minimal clothing." A report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate stated weeks later that Grok was able to create around three million sexualized images, including 23,000 of apparent children, between Dec. 29 and Jan. 8.
Several countries, including France, the UK, Ireland, India, and Brazil, have announced that they're now investigating Grok. Stateside, California is also investigating the chatbot. Now, the lawsuits have begun.
This one, filed March 16, has been filed in federal court in California. It states that the Jane Does, who live in Tennessee, have suffered severe harm from xAI's production of CSAM.
Around Dec. 6, 2025, Jane Doe 1 discovered from an anonymous Instagram message that images of her had been generated by someone she knows and disseminated on Discord. The perpetrator had created images of at least 18 other girls, many of whom Jane Doe 1 recognized. Jane Doe 1 is now an adult, but was a minor in the photos used of her, according to the lawsuit.
Then, around Feb. 12 this year, Jane Does 2 and 3 were notified by local law enforcement that their images were used by the same perpetrator to generate CSAM. They are still minors.
Another lawsuit against xAI was filed in the same court on Jan. 23. Another Jane Doe, an adult, is suing due to Grok "undressing" an image of her, rendering her in a bikini.
Mashable has reached out to xAI for comment.
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
