xAI sues user for generating nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes with Grok
xAI has filed a lawsuit against Terry Wayne Harwood, accusing him of using Grok to generate sexualized images of real people without their consent.
Artificial intelligence company xAI has sued Terry Wayne Harwood, a 67-year-old man from South Carolina, accusing him of using its Grok tool to create sexualized images of real individuals without their permission.
According to the complaint filed in Texas, the defendant uploaded non-sexual photos of numerous adults and minors to his two xAI accounts from December 8, 2025, to February 18, 2026. He then asked Grok to alter these images or create new ones depicting the people "in a pornographic manner or otherwise sexualizing them."
The company stated that Grok refused his prompts on "numerous occasions," but Harwood repeatedly submitted revised requests to bypass the AI's safeguards. One example in the filing describes Harwood uploading a photo of a fully clothed girl around 10–11 years old and asking Grok to remove all her clothing and make her do a "Playboy model impression" while lying in bed. Grok declined, but the defendant kept submitting modified prompts.
As Reuters notes, this is one of the first lawsuits by an AI company against a user, signaling that xAI will take legal action over Grok misuse. Following the scandal, regulators launched investigations: California authorities in mid-January, UK regulator Ofcom, the European Commission, and Ireland's Data Protection Commission all began probes.
xAI implemented measures to block nonconsensual sexual deepfakes after the investigations started, but users could still undress men, and Harwood continued uploading images and generating sexualized edits.
South Carolina's Attorney General announced Harwood's arrest on March 9 as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He faces three counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Harwood not only possessed child sexual abuse material but also distributed it.
xAI is now seeking unspecified monetary damages and wants the court to order Harwood to cover expenses incurred in defending against any legal actions from his victims.
