xAI sues Minnesota to block AI nudification law before it takes effect
Elon Musk’s xAI has sued Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in federal court in a bid to stop HF 1606, a state law described as the first in the U.S. to target AI “nudification” tools. The statute would impose strict liability on platforms if users generate realistic images of real people showing body parts they never exposed, with penalties of up to $500,000 for each image. xAI says it does not oppose banning the distribution of nonconsensual AI-generated nude images of real people, but argues Minnesota’s law sweeps far beyond that goal and punishes protected speech under the First Amendment. The company says the law lacks a safe harbor for good-faith moderation, does not require proof that a platform knew about wrongdoing, and can apply even when an image is consensual or never shared. Minnesota passed the bill by overwhelming margins after a case involving sexualized AI images of more than 80 women. The law is scheduled to take effect Saturday, and xAI wants a federal judge to halt it before then.
