Jess Asato is suing xAI over fake sexualised images linked to Grok, alleging the company failed to stop their spread online.
Jess Asato is suing xAI over the fake sexualised images linked to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, saying the material caused a serious breach of her dignity. High Court papers say the Suffolk Labour MP was targeted after images and videos of her were created and circulated online without her consent.
The claim says some of the material showed Asato being sexually assaulted. Her legal team is seeking damages for misuse of private information and alleged breaches of data protection rules. They are also asking the court for an order that would force the company to identify and remove any remaining copies of the images still online.
According to the court documents published on Tuesday, Asato’s lawyers argue that she was singled out after she spoke out in January about non-consensual deepfake images of women being produced by Grok. Marie Demetriou KC, acting for Asato, said the MP had posted on X urging Musk to understand that using AI to strip women without their consent amounted to sexual assault designed to degrade and humiliate.
The court filing says that after that post, several X users prompted Grok to generate sexualised and otherwise degrading non-consensual images of Asato, and that those images were then shared online. It also says that when attempts were made to report some of the posts, X refused to take them down, saying in March that they did not breach its terms of service, privacy policy or rules.
“Jess Asato is suing xAI over fake sexualised images linked to Grok, alleging the company failed to stop their spread online.”
Her lawyers say the problem did not end there. Demetriou said two videos were eventually removed, but six of the 21 posts reported in February were still available in late July. The filing presents that as evidence, in her view, that the platform and its AI tool had not done enough to stop the images from circulating.
xAI has since said users will no longer be able to use the tool to make sexualised images of real people. The case also comes after it became illegal in the UK to create or request a non-consensual deepfake image of an adult. Even with that legal change in place, Asato’s side says the company has failed, and is still failing, to prevent such content from being generated.
The case matters well beyond one MP because it goes to a basic question Americans understand well: whether powerful AI tools can be restrained before they are used to humiliate real people and spread abuse at scale. What happens next in court will help show how seriously platforms and developers must treat consent, privacy and online accountability.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Jess Asato suing xAI?
She says fake sexualised images and videos linked to Grok were created and circulated online without her consent, seriously breaching her dignity. Her legal team is seeking damages for misuse of private information and alleged data protection breaches.
What does Asato say happened after she spoke out about Grok?
Her lawyers argue that after she posted on X in January about non-consensual deepfake images of women, several users prompted Grok to generate degrading images of her. Those images were then shared online.
What did X allegedly do when the images were reported?
The filing says X refused to take some posts down, saying in March they did not breach its terms of service, privacy policy or rules. Asato’s lawyers say some reported content remained online in late July.
What is Asato asking the court to do?
Her legal team wants damages and an order requiring xAI to identify and remove any remaining copies of the images still online.
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