Overview
- xAI filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Monday seeking an injunction and a declaration that Minnesota’s HF 1606 is unconstitutional.
- HF 1606, passed nearly unanimously in spring, would ban access, use and advertising of tools that create nonconsensual AI nude images and authorize civil suits plus AG fines up to $500,000 per unlawful use.
- xAI argues the law is overbroad because its definition of “intimate parts” and “nudification” could sweep in consensual, satirical or artistic images and it contains no safe harbor for companies that deploy technical controls and content policies.
- The company says it already bars nonconsensual nudification, has suspended accounts and reported suspected abuse to authorities, and warned it will curtail Grok Imagine features for Minnesota users if the statute takes effect while litigation proceeds.
- Legal observers note the case could set a precedent on whether states may directly regulate AI tool makers rather than only users, and it will interact with federal measures like the Take It Down Act and earlier deepfake rulings.