Baltimore sues xAI over Grok deepfakes
Grok has already come under heavy pressure after the AI chatbot’s image generation tool was used to create approximately 3 million sexualized images over 11 days, including 23,000 of minors, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Regulators around the world have limited access or have launched investigations into the platform’s generation of potentially illegal and non-consensual images. The U.S. government has not taken any action against xAI or its platform at the federal level, but today the City of Baltimore initiated a municipal lawsuit against the company.
The lawsuit takes a different tactic, arguing that Elon Musk’s companies violated the city’s consumer protection ordinance. This complaint, as reported by The Guardiansaid xAI marketed Grok as a versatile AI assistant without disclosing the risks and exposure to harm from using Grok and the X social network.
“Baltimore’s consumer protection laws exist to protect residents from this type of harm,” said City Attorney Ebony M. Thompson. “When companies introduce powerful technologies without adequate safeguards, the City has both the power and the obligation to act. We are stepping in now to protect our residents, hold these companies accountable, and prevent these harms from getting worse as this technology continues to evolve.
The other notable action against Grok in the United States stems from a possible class-action lawsuit filed by three teenagers who alleged that photos of them were used to create child sexual abuse material.
