New claimants have come forward to take legal action against Elon Musk's company xAI following a test case launched by Labour MP Jess Asato over demeaning sexualised material created by its Grok AI tool. Ravi Naik, legal director of law firm AWO, confirmed he is now acting for multiple individuals seeking to sue over non-consensual content generated by Grok.
Asato's case, lodged at the High Court in London, argues that xAI violated data protection law and breached her privacy by allowing the generation of fake images showing her in a bikini and an AI-created video depicting her being chloroformed and prepared for sexual assault. Naik described the case as a test of liability for AI developers, stating: 'Those that build and deploy AI models make design choices about how these models operate.'
The 'bikinification' trend on X saw Grok generate around 3 million sexualised images in less than two weeks in January, according to researchers. Users could alter real images with prompts like 'put her in a bikini' or 'remove her clothes'. xAI later restricted the tool behind a paywall and limited its capacity for such prompts.
Asato said she found the experience 'psychologically distressing' and hopes the action will 'rein in tech companies'. She criticised Musk for amplifying abuse against her after she complained, including sharing a post that led to the AI-generated video. Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed her action, calling the images 'disgusting'.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said it was important to hold Musk accountable, noting his 'extreme personal views' and active role in UK politics. The legal action follows heightened tensions over Musk's comments on UK domestic affairs, including the police response to the murder of Henry Nowak.
