grok is now at the center of fresh legal pressure in the United States and the Netherlands, after Baltimore filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, and an Amsterdam court ordered a ban on generating and distributing nonconsensual nude images. On Tuesday (ET time not specified in the court filing summary provided), Baltimore said the tool has continued to generate nonconsensual sexual images that the city alleges violate its consumer protection and deceptive practice laws. On Thursday (ET time not specified in the court ruling summary provided), the Amsterdam District Court ordered xAI to stop generating and distributing nude images of people without their consent in the Netherlands, warning it would impose daily fines for noncompliance.
Baltimore’s lawsuit targets alleged deepfake risks tied to grok
Baltimore’s complaint, filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court, alleges that users on Musk’s social media platform, X, are at risk of being exposed to Grok-generated content “simply by using a mainstream consumer social media platform, ” and that users face the risk of having their own photos “transformed into sexually degrading deepfakes without their knowledge or consent. ”
The city argues these risks conflict with marketing that positioned Grok and X as safe products for users. The complaint states: “Baltimore residents have a reasonable expectation that they will not be exposed to this illegal content on X, and that X will not harass its own customers with Grok-generated deepfakes. ”
Baltimore also points to Grok’s “most controversial offerings, ” dubbed “spicy mode, ” which the complaint says allow users to request that the tool undress or nudify photos of celebrities and private citizens, including children. The lawsuit alleges the tool places people in “sexually suggestive, degrading, or violent scenarios. ”
An analysis cited in the complaint from the Center for Countering Digital Hate states that from Dec. 29 to Jan. 8 Grok created 3 million sexualized images, including around 20, 000 depicting children. Baltimore further alleges the tool made “obscene and offensive modifications, ” including placing a “donut glaze” on a child’s face, and describes a separate allegation from a female victim that Grok “non-consensually undressed her and eventually generated images of her completely naked. ”
Officials and advocates respond as courts weigh platform responsibility
, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said, “These deepfakes, especially those depicting minors, have traumatic, lifelong consequences for victims — who are left with no way to prevent the spread of disturbing, sexualized images created of them without their consent. ” Scott added, “Our city will not stand by and allow this to continue; it’s a threat to privacy, dignity, and public safety, and those responsible must be held accountable. ”
City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson said: “Baltimore’s consumer protection laws exist to safeguard residents from exactly this kind of emerging harm. When companies introduce powerful technologies without adequate guardrails, the City has both the authority and the obligation to act. We are stepping in now to protect our residents, hold these companies accountable, and prevent these harms from becoming further entrenched as this technology continues to evolve. ”
In the Netherlands case, Offlimits director Robbert Hoving said the “burden is on the company” to ensure its tools are not used to create and distribute nonconsensual sexual images, including of children.
Dutch court order adds fines, questions effectiveness of xAI measures
The Amsterdam District Court ordered xAI to stop generating and distributing nude images of people without consent in the Netherlands, warning of fines of 100, 000 euros per day for noncompliance. The ruling stated that xAI’s Grok tool and the X platform that hosts it were barred from “generating and/or distributing sexual imagery” featuring people “partially or wholly stripped naked without having given their explicit permission. ”
The court summary states the judge found “reasonable doubt” about the effectiveness of measures xAI said it had taken, noting that Offlimits was able to produce a video of a nude person using Grok shortly before the hearing. In court arguments described in the case summary, xAI lawyers said it was impossible to guarantee abuse could be prevented and that the company should not be punished for the actions of malicious users. They also said the company took measures in January to prevent Grok from editing images of real people in revealing clothing, including restricting its image-creation features to paid subscribers.
Quick context
Undressing images using Grok became a trend among users in January, and Baltimore’s lawsuit alleges Musk promoted the tool’s editing capabilities by participating and posting an edited photo of himself in a bikini. Separately, a group of teenagers in Tennessee sued xAI last week, claiming Grok created sexually explicit images of them as minors.
What’s next
Baltimore is seeking the “maximum amount of statutory penalties, ” though the filing does not specify total damages, and it is asking the court to order xAI to cease the targeting and exploitation of Baltimore residents and to reform platform design and marketing restrictions. In the Netherlands, xAI now faces the Amsterdam court’s order and the threat of daily fines as the court’s ban takes effect, keeping grok under intense scrutiny as further legal actions continue to develop.
