xAI's Grok sued for generating nonconsensual sexualized images
Baltimore filed a lawsuit against xAI, alleging that its Grok chatbot generated nonconsensual sexualized images and child sexual abuse material of city residents without their consent. The case represents an unprecedented municipal action based on consumer protection violations rather than individual claims.
What happened
The mayor and city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against xAI in Baltimore's circuit court, claiming that Grok generated nonconsensual sexualized images and child sexual abuse material.
The lawsuit states that Grok inundated Baltimore's X users with nonconsensual intimate imagery and transformed uploaded photos into sexually degrading deepfakes without consent. A Bloomberg-reviewed analysis found that Grok generated approximately 6,700 images per hour identified as sexually suggestive over a 24-hour period.
Reported impact
Baltimore residents were allegedly exposed to the risk that any photograph they uploaded—of themselves or their children—could be ingested by Grok and transformed into sexually degrading deepfakes without their knowledge or consent.
The lawsuit claims xAI misrepresented Grok as a general-purpose AI assistant and failed to disclose the chatbot's potential risks and harms.
Index analysis
The case represents an unprecedented municipal lawsuit claiming violations of city ordinances and consumer protection laws rather than individual suits focused on personal and reputational harms.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.