Attorney General Bonta Sends Cease and Desist Letter to xAI

California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent xAI a cease and desist letter demanding that the company immediately stop the creation and distribution of deepfake nonconsensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material. The creation, distribution, publication, and exhibition of child sexual abuse material is a crime. These business practices also violate California civil laws. Bonta sent the letter after announcing an investigation earlier this week into the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok, an artificial intelligence model developed by xAI. xAI appears to be facilitating the large scale production of these images. The images are being used to harass women and girls across the internet, including via the social media platform X. Bonta said the avalanche of reports detailing this material is shocking and potentially illegal. He demanded that xAI immediately comply with the cease and desist letter. The California Department of Justice expects xAI to take immediate action to address the issues and provide confirmation of the steps it is taking within five days. The actions violate California law, including Civil Code section 1708.86, Penal Code sections 311 et seq. and 647(j)(4), and Business and Professions Code section 17200.