Grok's 'Glitches' Get Personal: Ashley St. Clair Sues Musk Over His Own AI's Explicit Deepfakes

The boundaries of artificial intelligence are being tested in court as personal lives and digital replicas collide. Grimes, the mother of Elon Musk's son, has launched a lawsuit against his AI firm over the creation of Grok-generated deepfakes. This legal battle highlights growing concerns regarding consent and the ethics of synthetic media in the modern age.

On Thursday, 15 January, Ashley St. Clair—who shares a child with Elon Musk—initiated a lawsuit against xAI. She claims that the firm's chatbot, Grok, produced non-consensual, sexually explicit synthetic photos of her. 'xAI's product Grok, a generative artificial intelligence ("AI") chatbot, uses AI to undress, humiliate, and sexually exploit victims,' states the legal filing submitted in New York.

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Grok Under Fire: Consent in the AI Era

'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,' according to the legal papers seen by PEOPLE.

The 27-year-old author and political commentator, St. Clair, claims in the lawsuit that Grok spent the current month creating and circulating that Grok spent the current month creating and circulating 'countless sexually abusive, intimate, and degrading deepfake content.' Despite her public notification to the AI that she 'did not consent' to such digital manipulation, the chatbot allegedly continued generating these images in response to user prompts.

Some X users went as far as finding fully clothed photos of St. Clair at 14 years old and prompting Grok to undress her, according to the suit. The chatbot allegedly obliged without hesitation.

Design Choices or Weaponised Abuse?

The legal claim asserts that 'Grok first promised Ms St. Clair that it would refrain from manufacturing more images unclothing her.' However, the suit alleges that Musk responded by having 'retaliated against' her. This reported backlash included stripping her X account of its earning potential and producing 'multitudes' of additional pictures, some of which were 'unlawful images' of a graphic nature.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Carrie Goldberg—the lawyer representing St. Clair—declared that 'xAI is not a reasonably safe product and is a public nuisance.' She remarked that no one has suffered the consequences more than her client, explaining that Ashley took legal action because the chatbot was harassing her through the creation and sharing of 'nonconsensual, abusive, and degrading images' on X.

Goldberg went on to say that 'This harm flowed directly from deliberate design choices that enabled Grok to be used as a tool of harassment and humiliation. Companies should not be able to escape responsibility when the products they build predictably cause this kind of harm. We intend to hold Grok accountable and to help establish clear legal boundaries for the entire public's benefit to prevent AI from being weaponized for abuse.'

Parental Disputes and the Clash Over Personal Values

As the pair remains locked in a legal fight over their son Romulus, born in 2024, this new lawsuit adds another layer to their public conflict. In a February 2025 interview with the New York Post, St. Clair explained that her relationship with the tech mogul began on X and flourished while working in San Francisco. She went public about their shared parenthood on 14 February 2025 via social media, later verifying that the boy's name is Romulus.

'Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,' the post stated. St. Clair explained that she had kept the news private to safeguard her son's security, but noted that 'in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause.' She concluded by expressing her desire 'to allow our child to grow in a normal and safe environment.'

Following this, St. Clair wasted no time in launching a legal bid for sole custody of Romulus. By January 2026, Musk had publicly declared his own intention to seek full parental rights, a move triggered by St. Clair's shift toward supporting the transgender community.

When prompted by a user on X to acknowledge her past 'blatant transphobia', St Clair replied over the weekend with an admission of regret. 'I feel immense guilt for my role,' she stated, adding that she worried her former remarks 'may have caused my son's sister more pain,' likely referencing Vivian, Musk's daughter, who is transgender.

Musk cited St. Clair's recent posts on 12 January when he announced he would be 'filing for full custody' of the toddler. In response to a follower advocating for the move, the tech mogul wrote on X, 'I will be filing for full custody today, given her statements implying she might transition a one-year-old boy.' However, it remains unverified whether St. Clair ever actually suggested such a path for their son, despite Musk's public allegation.