U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank Denies xAI Request to Block Minnesota Nudification Law
U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled on Friday that xAI will not be blocked from implementing a Minnesota law that bans "nudification" technology. The law, which takes effect this Saturday, prohibits websites and applications from allowing users to generate non-consensual sexualized images of identifiable individuals. xAI, the artificial intelligence company owned by SpaceX, argued that the law is overinclusive and violates First Amendment rights. The company noted that its own AI chatbot, Grok, has faced scrutiny for producing sexualized deepfakes without user consent. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded to the lawsuit, arguing that xAI waited too long to file for an emergency delay. The law imposes civil penalties of up to $500,000 for each unlawful use of nudification technology. While the court may hold a hearing in August to consider a preliminary injunction, the law will proceed as scheduled. The legislation was spearheaded by State Senator Erin Maye Quade to address the non-consensual creation of deepfakes.