Conservative Strategist Sues xAI Over Deepfakes of Her Daughter as a Teenager and Herself
A conservative political strategist who is also the mother of one of Elon Musk's children has taken XAI to court over nonconsensual deepfake images of her. Ashley St. Clair, a 34-year-old strategist, claims that xAI's Grok chatbot created and disseminated explicit images of her as a teenager stripped down in a string bikini, and as an adult in various sexual poses.
St. Clair alleges that the images were produced based on photos taken when she was just 14 years old, without her consent or knowledge. "People took pictures of me as a child and undressed me," she said in an interview with The Guardian. "There's one where they undressed me and bent me over, and in the background is my child's backpack that he's wearing right now."
The former X Premium subscriber claims that after reporting the images to xAI, the company failed to take action. Instead, it allegedly retaliated by creating more deepfakes of her and revoking her ability to use the platform.
XAI's Grok app was recently updated to remove its ability to create nonconsensual digitally undressed images on X, but it appears that the standalone app continues to produce explicit content when prompted to do so. The company has changed its policies to prohibit the generation of sexualized images of children and non-consensual nudity in certain jurisdictions where such acts are illegal.
Despite these changes, Apple and Google have yet to remove Grok from their app stores, sparking outrage among advocacy groups who argue that the apps violate their terms of service. Many governments, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have also taken action, banning the app or launching investigations into its activities.
St. Clair believes that xAI is biased against women and that the company's failure to act on her complaints was by design. "If you are a woman, you can't post a picture, and you can't speak, or you risk this abuse," she said. "It's dangerous, and I believe this is by design. You are supposed to feed AI humanity and thoughts, and when you're doing things that particularly impact women, and they don't want to participate in it because they are being targeted, it means the AI is inherently going to be biased."
The Defiance Act, which aims to hold tech companies accountable for their actions, has been passed by the US Senate for a second time. However, Apple and Google remain silent on the matter, with neither company responding to requests for comment from Engadget.
St. Clair's lawsuit is just one of several high-profile cases against xAI over its Grok app. The case highlights the ongoing need for greater regulation and accountability in the tech industry, particularly when it comes to AI-powered content creation tools that can be used to spread misinformation or harm individuals.
A conservative political strategist who is also the mother of one of Elon Musk's children has taken XAI to court over nonconsensual deepfake images of her. Ashley St. Clair, a 34-year-old strategist, claims that xAI's Grok chatbot created and disseminated explicit images of her as a teenager stripped down in a string bikini, and as an adult in various sexual poses.
St. Clair alleges that the images were produced based on photos taken when she was just 14 years old, without her consent or knowledge. "People took pictures of me as a child and undressed me," she said in an interview with The Guardian. "There's one where they undressed me and bent me over, and in the background is my child's backpack that he's wearing right now."
The former X Premium subscriber claims that after reporting the images to xAI, the company failed to take action. Instead, it allegedly retaliated by creating more deepfakes of her and revoking her ability to use the platform.
XAI's Grok app was recently updated to remove its ability to create nonconsensual digitally undressed images on X, but it appears that the standalone app continues to produce explicit content when prompted to do so. The company has changed its policies to prohibit the generation of sexualized images of children and non-consensual nudity in certain jurisdictions where such acts are illegal.
Despite these changes, Apple and Google have yet to remove Grok from their app stores, sparking outrage among advocacy groups who argue that the apps violate their terms of service. Many governments, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have also taken action, banning the app or launching investigations into its activities.
St. Clair believes that xAI is biased against women and that the company's failure to act on her complaints was by design. "If you are a woman, you can't post a picture, and you can't speak, or you risk this abuse," she said. "It's dangerous, and I believe this is by design. You are supposed to feed AI humanity and thoughts, and when you're doing things that particularly impact women, and they don't want to participate in it because they are being targeted, it means the AI is inherently going to be biased."
The Defiance Act, which aims to hold tech companies accountable for their actions, has been passed by the US Senate for a second time. However, Apple and Google remain silent on the matter, with neither company responding to requests for comment from Engadget.
St. Clair's lawsuit is just one of several high-profile cases against xAI over its Grok app. The case highlights the ongoing need for greater regulation and accountability in the tech industry, particularly when it comes to AI-powered content creation tools that can be used to spread misinformation or harm individuals.
this is so messed up! Like, can you believe a company would create deepfakes of someone's teenage daughter and themself? It's just gross 
Ashley St Clair has every right to sue xAI for this, I mean who does that? The fact that they retaliated against her after she reported the issue is even worse. And now Apple and Google are just sitting on it, like it's no big deal 
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. I mean, if you can't post a picture or speak without getting abused, that's just not okay 
. And the Defiance Act is like, yay, finally someone's taking action 
. But we need more! We need to hold these companies accountable for their actions and make sure they're doing what's right. This isn't just about St Clair, it's about all women who are being targeted by this kind of abuse 
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and demand that Apple and Google remove Grok from their app stores ASAP 
. We need to take a stand against this kind of exploitation and make sure AI is used for good, not harm 
.
this is a nightmare come true... deepfakes of minors are basically created just because some people think they're funny 
but really they're not 
and then when the mom speaks out she gets harassed even more 
what's wrong with these companies? can't they see that this is a major issue? 
and now xai has changed its policies but still the app is available on app stores 
it's just not enough, more needs to be done 
it's like, your body is already vulnerable enough at that age, and then someone decides to create fake images of you in the most compromising positions... Ashley St Clair's story is so messed up, but I'm glad she's taking a stand against xAI. 
it's crazy how some companies can just leave their users hanging like this... and now there's a bill in the US Senate to hold them accountable 
The fact that they created these explicit images using photos from when Ashley St. Clair was 14 years old without her consent is just horrific 
This whole situation is a mess. I'm so glad someone's speaking out, like Ashley is doing. It's about time these companies are held accountable for their actions 
. And what's with Apple and Google not taking action yet? 
. and what's with all the outrage from advocacy groups? can't we just chill and let the courts figure it out? 
. tech companies like xAI need to take responsibility for their actions and ensure that their AI tools aren't being used to harm or exploit people. Apple and Google should definitely remove Grok from their app stores, it's a clear violation of terms of service 
. this case is a perfect example of why we need stronger regulations in the tech industry to prevent these types of abuses 
. Ashley St Clair's lawsuit is a brave move and I hope she gets justice 
. They're like, "Oh, we don't want to get involved in politics" 
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. xAI thinks they can just create these AI-powered tools without anyone holding them accountable? That's not how democracy works 
. The Defiance Act is a step in the right direction, but we need more laws and regulations to keep companies like this in check 
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. This is a classic case of tech companies thinking they're above the law 
. We need to be more vigilant about the tech companies we're using and make sure they're not putting our personal info at risk 
. And the worst part is that xAI thought they could just get away with it because Ashley St. Clair didn't report them right away. Like, hello! That doesn't make what they did okay at all 
. A 14-year-old girl's image being used to create explicit content is just not okay 
. And honestly, I think she's right – these companies need to be held accountable for their actions 
. Apple and Google need to do better here 
. We need stricter regulations in place to protect people from this kind of abuse 
. We need to be vigilant and make sure our kids are protected online 
, but with awareness and action, we can create change 
those deepfakes are literally nightmares come true I'm glad the Defiance Act passed in the Senate maybe it'll bring some change to these companies 
but until then, they need to be held accountable for their actions 
ashley st clair's daughter must have been traumatized seeing her mom as a teenager all over deepfakes 
i feel like xai should really get held accountable for their actions 
i mean who creates & spreads pics of a 14 yr old girl without consent? that's literally statutory rape 
now the defiance act is in play which is about holding tech companies accountable 
this is getting out of hand tho apple & google are MIA on this one 
. this is so not okay! 
i'm all for accountability but what about protecting ppl's privacy? 
. We need to hold these companies accountable for their actions and make sure that tech companies like xAI are creating a safe space for everyone online 
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? Like, what's going on over there? Can't they see the harm that xAI is causing? We need to get some real accountability from them 
This is wild! Ashley St. Clair is a total warrior for taking on xAI like this 
I gotta feel for her, being taken advantage of like this as a teenager and now they're trying to silence her by revoking her app access