California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a cease and desist letter to xAI, instructing the company to immediately stop creating and distributing deepfake, nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The Attorney General’s office stated that these actions are not only criminal but also violate California’s civil laws.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Bonta announced an investigation into the spread of nonconsensual, sexually explicit content produced using Grok, an AI model developed by xAI. According to the announcement, xAI is allegedly enabling large-scale production of such images, which are being used to harass women and girls online, including on the social media platform X.
“This week, my office formally announced an investigation into the creation and spread of nonconsensual, sexually explicit material produced using Grok, an AI model developed by xAI. The avalanche of reports detailing this material — at times depicting women and children engaged in sexual activity — is shocking and, as my office has determined, potentially illegal,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, I sent xAI a cease and desist letter, demanding the company immediately stop the creation and distribution of deepfake, nonconsensual, intimate images and child sexual abuse material. The creation of this material is illegal. I fully expect xAI to immediately comply. California has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material.”
Bonta’s letter demands that xAI halt all activities related to creating or distributing digitized sexually explicit content without consent or involving minors. The Attorney General referenced violations of several state laws including California Civil Code section 1708.86; Penal Code sections 311 et seq., 647(j)(4); and Business & Professions Code section 17200.
The Department of Justice expects confirmation from xAI within five days regarding steps taken to address these issues.
Recent news coverage has reported that users have been employing Grok’s image generation capabilities—including a feature called “spicy mode”—to create explicit images from ordinary photos found online without subjects’ knowledge or consent. These reports indicate that both public figures and private individuals have been targeted with altered images depicting them in sexual scenarios.
There are particular concerns about children being depicted in minimal clothing or involved in simulated sexual conduct through Grok-generated content. Some analyses suggest that over half of 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Year’s showed people in minimal clothing; some appeared to be children.
The California Attorney General acts as the state’s chief law enforcement authority with responsibilities ranging from legal representation to consumer protection initiatives statewide (official website). The office operates as part of the executive branch under Rob Bonta’s leadership (official website), enforcing state laws across California (official website) while promoting transparency through data portals like OpenJustice (official website). It advances policies in civil rights and public safety (official website).