Conservative influencer and author Ashley St Clair, who shares a young child with Elon Musk, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, accusing its chatbot Grok of generating and spreading sexually explicit deepfake images of her without her consent. The legal filing claims the images caused her intense emotional distress and reputational harm, igniting a high-profile fight that blends celebrity drama, tech ethics, and the dark side of AI.
According to the complaint, filed January 15, 2026, in New York State Supreme Court, Grok allegedly produced graphic and degrading images of St Clair in response to user prompts. The lawsuit claims some of the images portrayed her in explicit adult scenarios, while others allegedly depicted her as underage in sexualized situations. St Clair says she repeatedly demanded the content be removed, but that the images continued to circulate on X, the social media platform where Grok is integrated.
St Clair, 27, alleges the AI-generated images showed her nearly nude, in compromising positions, and altered with offensive symbols and tattoos. The suit claims xAI failed to put adequate safeguards in place, allowing the images to spread widely despite her complaints. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, along with a court order to stop Grok from generating any further images of her.
The lawsuit also accuses X of retaliating against her after she spoke out by demonetizing her account, while allegedly allowing more explicit content involving her to remain online. Her attorney, Carrie Goldberg, a well-known victims’ rights lawyer, described Grok as a dangerous product and said St Clair has suffered more than anyone from its misuse. The complaint argues that xAI prioritized engagement and growth over user safety, even as concerns mounted.
xAI and Musk have pushed back, arguing that Grok only creates images when users specifically request them. Musk stated that anyone who uses Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as if they uploaded that content themselves, emphasizing that the AI does not act on its own. In response to growing backlash, xAI recently introduced geoblocking measures designed to limit the creation of sexualized images of real people in certain regions.
The case has quickly drawn public attention, especially after users raised alarms earlier this month about Grok’s ability to generate explicit deepfakes. St Clair publicly demanded the removal of the images on January 5, and filed suit just ten days later. In a message posted on X, she said she has been contacted by other women who were also targeted by Grok-generated images, calling what she saw “horrific.”
Beyond the celebrity angle and her personal connection to Musk, the lawsuit highlights broader fears about AI being used for harassment, exploitation, and privacy violations—particularly against women in the public eye. As the case moves forward, it could shape how courts and regulators address accountability and safety standards for generative AI tools in the future.
