Wed, 14 Jan 2026

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 California investigates Grok over AI deepfakes

The state attorney general urges xAI to take action over the "shocking" material as Musk denies the allegations.
California's Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched an investigation into xAI, a company that develops Elon Musk's AI model Grok. The probe is focused on the spread of non-consensual and sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok. The xAI company claims to take responsibility for any content generated by Grok, but critics argue that this doesn't apply when it comes to AI-generated content. Prof James Grimmelmann from Cornell University says Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability, only protects sites from third-party user-generated content. The investigation comes as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warns that X could face consequences for allowing Grok to operate on its platform. California Governor Gavin Newsom has also criticized xAI's actions, calling them "vile". Musk has denied any knowledge of naked underage images being generated by Grok and claims that the AI model only produces content according to user requests. The investigation is ongoing, but it highlights concerns about the responsibility of tech companies for AI-generated content.
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