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Ashley St. Clair takes legal action against xAI over alleged misuse of her images, intensifying debates around AI safety and Elon Musk.

Ashley St. Clair, a conservative writer and online influencer, has filed a lawsuit against xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, over allegations that its chatbot, Grok, created sexualised deepfake images of her without consent.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, claims Grok altered a group photograph featuring St. Clair and two friends, digitally changing her appearance in a way she says was inappropriate and unauthorised. 

After she publicly objected, the chatbot reportedly described the image as a joke and suggested a removal request had been submitted.

According to court documents, St. Clair alleges that despite public assurances from Grok that her images would not be manipulated, similar altered images continued to circulate. 

The suit further claims that photos of her taken when she was underage were also misused by the chatbot after prompts from users.

St. Clair also accused xAI of retaliating against her after she demanded the images be taken down. She claims her account on X was demonetised, her verification badge removed, and her access to premium features restricted.

The lawsuit argues that Grok can convincingly alter real images of women and children, placing them in sexualised or violent contexts that appear realistic enough to mislead viewers. 

It points to xAI’s public promotion of Grok as an AI willing to answer “spicy” questions, including the rollout of a so-called “spicy mode” in its app.

Earlier this month, St. Clair raised public concerns on X, warning that the chatbot was generating inappropriate images of her as a minor. 

She described the situation as deeply troubling and urged users to avoid sharing personal or family photos online.

xAI has since attempted to move the case to federal court. St. Clair’s lawyer said the lawsuit is aimed at drawing attention to what they describe as dangerous uses of generative AI, particularly where minors are involved.

The legal action follows recent changes announced by X, which said Grok would no longer be allowed to edit images of real people to place them in revealing clothing.

Elon Musk has denied knowledge of any illegal content involving minors, stating that Grok responds to user prompts and is designed to follow the law, while acknowledging that some users may try to exploit the system.

St. Clair criticised the timing of the new safety measures, saying they were introduced only after harm had already been done.

The case also unfolds amid an ongoing personal dispute between St. Clair and Elon Musk. She has previously said Musk is the father of her son, a claim that later led to public disagreements over paternity, child support, and custody.