xAI Asks Court to Strip Alleged Grok Deepfake Nudes Victims of Anonymity

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence firm, xAI, is pushing to unmask four individuals who claim they were targeted by deepfake sexualized images created using Grok, a chatbot owned by Musk. The alleged victims, currently identified as South Carolina Doe, South Carolina Roe, New Jersey Doe, and Ohio Doe, fear that being publicly identified will lead to further online harassment and doxing. The four individuals, who filed affidavits in a federal class-action lawsuit against xAI, described the emotional distress they suffered after the alleged deepfakes were created earlier this year.

Their lawyer, Sophia Rios, argued that xAI's request to reveal their identities is an effort to intimidate them into dropping the lawsuit. "Having stripped them of their clothes, xAI now seeks to strip Plaintiffs of their pseudonyms in an obvious effort to intimidate Plaintiffs into dropping the litigation by compounding the same harms that they seek to remedy," Rios wrote in a recent filing. The lawsuit against xAI was initially filed in January, shortly after Grok was used to create fake images of women "undressed" and in bikinis, including apparent children.

According to analysis from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Grok was used to create around 3 million sexualized images over just 11 days, with 23,000 of those potentially including children. SpaceX, which owns xAI, has set aside more than $500 million to deal with the fallout. The alleged victims had initially been allowed to proceed with the lawsuit using pseudonyms, with the court acknowledging their concerns about privacy and potential harassment.

However, xAI has filed two motions with the federal district court in northern California, asking the judge to overturn this ruling. The company claims that there is a public interest in the identities of those suing and that no evidence has been put forward for any specific further harm or threats to individuals in the case. The case has sparked concerns about the misuse of AI and the need for greater regulation.

As the lawsuit continues, the alleged victims remain at risk of being publicly identified, despite their fears of further harassment and doxing. xAI's request to reveal the identities of the alleged victims has raised questions about the company's priorities and its commitment to protecting the privacy and well-being of those affected by its technology.