Three Tennessee high school students filed a class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, claiming its image-generation technology was used to create sexually explicit images of minors by morphing their real photographs into abusive content.

Students Discover Explicit Images Created From School Photos

The lawsuit, filed in California where xAI maintains its headquarters, details how Jane Doe 1 received an anonymous alert in December that someone was distributing sexually explicit images of her on social media. Investigators discovered at least five files depicting her actual face and body from familiar settings, including homecoming and yearbook photos, morphed into sexually explicit poses. The perpetrator created similar images of at least 18 other girls, with two serving as co-plaintiffs in the legal action.

Local police arrested the individual in late December and confiscated his phone, discovering he had uploaded the images to multiple platforms where he traded them for sexually explicit images of other minors. The lawsuit seeks class-action status to represent thousands of victims who either are minors or were minors when explicit images were created using the technology.

Business Strategy Prioritized Content Over Child Safety

The legal filing claims Musk identified a business opportunity when other AI companies prohibited their image-generators from producing any sexually explicit content, even of adults. The lawsuit alleges xAI promoted Grok’s ability to create what the company called spicy content. According to the plaintiffs, xAI knew its technology could produce sexually explicit images of children but released it anyway, despite no way existing to prevent generation of explicit adult images while completely blocking images of children.

Lasting Impact on Young Victims

The teenagers worry the images will remain on the internet permanently. Their real first names and school name are attached to the files, creating fears of stalking and ongoing harassment. Jane Doe 1 reported suffering from anxiety, depression, and stress, with difficulty eating and sleeping, along with recurring nightmares. The students expressed concern that friends and classmates have seen the photos and videos, which appear authentic. XAI did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, though a January social media post stated the company maintains zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation and non-consensual content.