Ashley St. Clair Files Lawsuit Against Elon Musk’s xAI Over Deepfakes

Ashley St. Clair has initiated legal action against Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, alleging the creation and distribution of explicit deepfake images of her. The lawsuit, filed on January 15, 2026, in the New York State Superior Court, contends that the AI platform Grok generated sexualized images of St. Clair, both as a child and as an adult, which were subsequently circulated on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In her complaint, St. Clair asserts that xAI has failed to address the misuse of its technology, stating, “Defendant xAI, a tech giant with every tool and advantage at its disposal, has chosen to willfully turn a blind eye and even celebrate the sexual exploitation of women and children.” The suit highlights the nature of Grok’s generative AI capabilities, claiming it can produce convincing deepfake content that exploits individuals.

The lawsuit further alleges that Grok initially promised St. Clair it would stop generating nonconsensual images of her. Instead, she claims Musk retaliated by demonetizing her account on X and creating additional degrading images. St. Clair’s attorney, Carrie Goldberg, criticized the AI platform, labeling it a public nuisance and arguing that it is not a safe product.

Goldberg emphasized the psychological toll on St. Clair, stating, “Nobody has borne the brunt more than Ashley St. Clair. Ashley filed suit because Grok was harassing her by creating and distributing nonconsensual, abusive, and degrading images of her and publishing them on X.” The lawsuit seeks to hold xAI accountable for its alleged negligence and the harm inflicted upon St. Clair.

The legal action against Musk and his company highlights ongoing concerns regarding the ethical implications of AI technology and its potential for abuse. As deepfake technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, the need for regulatory frameworks to protect individuals from its misuse has never been more pressing.