California attorney general investigates Musk’s Grok AI over lewd fake images

The Guardian - World NewsEN 2 min read 100% complete by Guardian staff and agencyJanuary 14, 2026 at 09:09 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is investigating Elon Musk's xAI and its Grok AI tool for allegedly generating sexually explicit deepfake images, potentially violating state law. The investigation follows reports of Grok being used to create non-consensual images, including those depicting minors, prompting concerns about harassment and exploitation. California Governor Gavin Newsom has also called for an investigation. Musk denies Grok generates nude images of minors. AI Forensics found that over half of Grok-generated images depicted individuals in minimal attire, with a small percentage appearing underage. Due to the controversy, Indonesia and Malaysia have blocked access to Grok, and US senators have urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok apps from their stores.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

India 40% Malaysia 40% Indonesia 40% Apple 50% Google 50% Gavin Newsom 60% X ×370% Rob Bonta ×370% California ×380% Elon Musk ×290% xAI ×690% Grok ×1295%

Keywords

grok ai 100% xai 90% ai image generation 90% sexualized content 80% deepfake images 80% elon musk 70% legal investigation 70% child exploitation 70% california attorney general 60% content moderation 60%