AI: Minnesota Accuses Grok of Enabling Digital Sexual Violence

Minnesota is going directly after Grok. The US state accuses xAI’s AI of facilitating the creation of realistic sexual images from photos of identifiable individuals. A new law now bans this type of tool in the state. xAI wants to have it suspended. The conflict is now playing out in court.

AI Grok directly targeted by Minnesota

The new law targets platforms and software capable of generating realistic sexual images of an identifiable person from an existing photo. Grok is on the front line. In France, the justice system is already investigating X and Grok following reports about sexual deepfakes and images of children.

The bill is numbered HF-1606. It was passed in spring with 132 votes to 1 in the Minnesota House. The Senate approved it unanimously, 65 to 0.

Since August 1st, companies involved face up to 500,000 dollars per image in case of violation. Lawmakers had heard the story of a man who used photos posted on social networks to create fake sexual images of over 80 women he knew. Minnesota now wants to cut access to tools that allow such manipulation. xAI disagrees.

xAI invokes freedom of expression

Elon Musk’s company went to court in July to block the enforcement of the law. Its main argument is based on the First Amendment of the US Constitution. xAI argues that Minnesota’s text covers too broad a field and could affect images protected by freedom of expression.

The company particularly cites photos of topless people, swimmers, and some forms of political satire. It also criticizes the absence of exemptions for developers trying to limit abuse. Even an image created with the consent of the person involved could fall under the law.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison defends the exact opposite. For him, the bill mainly regulates a tool that allows the production of sexual images without consent. He accuses Grok Imagine of significantly facilitating this kind of practice.

The showdown already resembles those with other authorities. In May, Elon Musk publicly insulted French magistrates investigating X and Grok. This time, xAI is trying to directly overturn the law.

Grok already has several cases behind it

Minnesota is not entering empty ground. In January, a monitoring organization estimated that Grok generated over 23,000 sexualized images of children in just eleven days. Several countries then opened investigations. In March, three minors in California joined a lawsuit against xAI. They accuse Grok of being used to transform their photos into AI-generated child abuse content.

xAI claims to have reacted. The company says it suspended more than 50,000 accounts in 2026 and submitted more than 70,000 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Grok had already faced other controversies. In 2025, xAI admitted a mistake after hateful content was spread by its AI. The Minnesota case goes further. It no longer just asks xAI to fix Grok after an incident. It seeks to impose limits directly in the law. The justice system will now have to decide if Minnesota regulates a dangerous tool or infringes on freedom of expression protected by the Constitution. Grok remains available. So does the law.