The city of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, accusing its chatbot Grok of generating harmful and nonconsensual sexualized "deepfake" images, including those involving minors.
The complaint, filed in a local circuit court, claims that Grok has been used to create explicit images of people without their permission.
City officials argue that this violates consumer protection laws and puts users at serious risk.
The lawsuit marks one of the first major actions by a US city targeting AI-generated deepfake content.
According to the filing, Grok—launched in 2023 and distributed through the social platform X—was promoted as a safe, general-purpose tool.
However, Baltimore alleges the platform has instead become a major source of harmful material.
The city claims millions of realistic sexualized images were created in a short period, including thousands involving children.
According to CNBC, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott strongly criticized the situation, saying, "We're talking about tech companies enabling the sexual exploitation of children."
He added that the issue is "a threat to privacy, dignity and public safety," and stressed that those responsible must be held accountable.
Baltimore is first U.S. city to sue over Grok deepfake porn as legal pressure mounts on Musk's xAI https://t.co/xaLiqBIbbf
— CNBC (@CNBC) March 24, 2026
Baltimore Targets Grok Over Deepfakes
The lawsuit also points to a viral trend where users prompted Grok to alter images of real people into revealing or explicit versions. Officials argue that such features make it easy to misuse the technology.
In one example cited in the complaint, Musk himself shared an AI-generated image of his likeness in revealing clothing, which the city claims signaled approval of the tool's capabilities.
Baltimore is now asking the court to step in. The city wants an order requiring xAI to change how Grok works, especially features that may enable abuse.
It is also seeking financial penalties, though no specific amount has been disclosed.
The case comes as xAI faces growing scrutiny worldwide. Regulators in several countries are already reviewing how Grok handles sensitive content.
In response to earlier concerns, the company said it had started limiting certain image requests and blocking content in places where it may be illegal.
Musk previously stated he was "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok," pushing back on claims about the platform, Reuters reported.
However, Baltimore officials say the scale of the issue suggests stronger safeguards are needed.
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