California Demands Answers From Musk’s xAI Over Grok Deepfake Images
GeokHub
Sacramento / San Francisco | Jan 14 — GeokHub California officials have launched a formal push for answers from Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, after Musk said he was unaware of any explicit images of minors generated by its chatbot, Grok.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday they are seeking an immediate explanation of how xAI plans to stop the creation and spread of non-consensual, AI-generated sexualized imagery linked to the Grok system.
“We’re demanding immediate answers from xAI on their plan to stop the creation and spread of this content,” Bonta wrote on X. Newsom earlier urged the attorney general to “immediately investigate the company and hold xAI accountable.”
The comments mark the strongest public response yet from U.S. officials amid growing outrage over AI-generated images circulating on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which Musk owns.
Global Scrutiny Intensifies
In recent weeks, hyper-realistic images portraying women — and in some cases minors — in sexualized or degrading ways have circulated widely on X, prompting condemnation from officials in Europe and Asia. Some countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have already imposed bans on Grok.
While Musk initially downplayed the controversy, X has since said it takes reports involving child sexual abuse material seriously. On Wednesday, Musk insisted he had no knowledge of such content being produced by Grok.
“I am not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero,” Musk said in a post on X.
However, xAI did not directly respond to questions from Reuters regarding California’s actions or Musk’s statement, instead issuing a brief message dismissing media coverage.
Mounting Pressure on Tech Platforms
The California inquiry adds to growing pressure on Musk and his companies worldwide. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have called on Apple and Google to remove Grok from their app stores, while regulators in the European Union and the United Kingdom have warned of possible enforcement actions.
Last week, X restricted Grok’s ability to generate or edit images publicly for many users. However, Reuters reported that the chatbot was still capable of producing sexualized images in private interactions as of Wednesday.
As governments move to tighten oversight of generative AI, the controversy underscores rising concerns about platform accountability, safeguards for minors, and the rapid spread of unregulated AI content.
