California AG Targets xAI Over Deepfake Concerns
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a cease-and-desist order to Elon Musk's xAI, demanding an immediate halt to the creation and distribution of deepfake images generated by its Grok chatbot. The action follows allegations that the AI system was being used to produce unlawful content involving minors and nonconsensual adult imagery.
Bonta's office asserts xAI is facilitating mass production of illegal material, specifically citing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and intimate images created without consent. "California has zero tolerance for illegal child abuse imagery," Bonta stated in Friday's announcement.
The state investigation was triggered by reports of Grok being weaponized to generate harmful content. This enforcement action highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of AI systems capable of creating synthetic media.
