Musk’s xAI Under Investigation by California AG for Grok’s Sexual Image Content
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is currently facing scrutiny from the California attorney general’s office. This investigation arises from allegations that the company’s Grok chatbot has been used to generate thousands of sexualized images of women and children without their consent.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the investigation on Wednesday, expressing his shock at Grok’s involvement in producing nonconsensual, sexualized images of women and girls on the social network X over the past two weeks. “This behavior is shocking,” Bonta stated in his announcement.
He further urged xAI to take immediate action to prevent any further incidents, emphasizing, “We have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material.”
The decision by xAI to create a platform that allows predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is appalling.
I am calling on the Attorney General to immediately investigate the company and hold xAI accountable…
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 14, 2026
Musk has faced criticism from governments and regulators globally due to Grok’s image-generation technology. In response, he has defended Grok, asserting that the problem arises from user misuse of the tool rather than the technology itself. “Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images; it does so only according to user requests,” Musk posted on X. He added that the system is designed to refuse requests for illegal content.
California Governor Gavin Newsom echoed the call for accountability, urging the attorney general to investigate xAI thoroughly. This sentiment is shared by several European nations, including France and the U.K., which have initiated similar investigations into xAI and Grok. The European Union is also examining whether the images produced violate the bloc’s Digital Services Act.
A spokesperson for xAI has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ongoing investigations.
Top photo: The Grok logo on a smartphone. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
Topics
California
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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is currently facing scrutiny from the California attorney general’s office. This investigation arises from allegations that the company’s Grok chatbot has been used to generate thousands of sexualized images of women and children without their consent.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the investigation on Wednesday, expressing his shock at Grok’s involvement in producing nonconsensual, sexualized images of women and girls on the social network X over the past two weeks. “This behavior is shocking,” Bonta stated in his announcement.
He further urged xAI to take immediate action to prevent any further incidents, emphasizing, “We have zero tolerance for the AI-based creation and dissemination of nonconsensual intimate images or of child sexual abuse material.”
The decision by xAI to create a platform that allows predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is appalling.
I am calling on the Attorney General to immediately investigate the company and hold xAI accountable…
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 14, 2026
Musk has faced criticism from governments and regulators globally due to Grok’s image-generation technology. In response, he has defended Grok, asserting that the problem arises from user misuse of the tool rather than the technology itself. “Obviously, Grok does not spontaneously generate images; it does so only according to user requests,” Musk posted on X. He added that the system is designed to refuse requests for illegal content.
California Governor Gavin Newsom echoed the call for accountability, urging the attorney general to investigate xAI thoroughly. This sentiment is shared by several European nations, including France and the U.K., which have initiated similar investigations into xAI and Grok. The European Union is also examining whether the images produced violate the bloc’s Digital Services Act.
A spokesperson for xAI has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ongoing investigations.
Top photo: The Grok logo on a smartphone. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
Topics
California
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