xAI sues man for using Grok to generate CSAM deepfakes

xAI, the Elon Musk-owned artificial intelligence company, has filed a lawsuit against Terry Wayne Harwood, a South Carolina resident. The lawsuit claims that Harwood "knowingly and intentionally used Grok to circumvent safeguards, alter nonconsensual images, and generate and distribute CSAM," thereby breaching the company's policies.

Harwood was arrested in February on charges related to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), facing eight felony charges. According to the lawsuit, at least some of the images connected to Harwood's criminal allegations were created or altered with Grok. Specifically, Harwood allegedly bypassed Grok's safety measures to convert non-sexual photographs into sexually explicit images without the subjects' consent.

Following the introduction of a "spicy" mode for Grok last year and the subsequent addition of image editing capabilities, the chatbot was used to produce a wave of sexualized AI deepfakes, including those depicting minors. In March, a group of teenagers sued xAI, claiming Grok generated sexualized images of them as minors. Musk responded by stating that anyone using Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as uploading illegal content. However, this lawsuit appears to be the first time xAI has taken legal action against an individual for AI deepfakes created with Grok.

xAI argues that Harwood's alleged actions exposed the company to "significant legal risk and reputational damage." The company is seeking a court order for Harwood to pay damages and cover reasonable expenses incurred in defending against any lawsuits filed by victims of his conduct. Additionally, xAI requests that the judge prohibit Harwood from creating an xAI account or using Grok.