Is Taylor Swift About to Sue Elon Musk's Grok Over 'Topless' AI Dance Videos? What We Know

Elon Musk's Grok AI has sparked widespread outrage after allegedly creating explicit deepfake videos of Taylor Swift without consent, potentially exposing the tech mogul and his company xAI to serious legal consequences.

Social media users are raising serious legal questions about consent, ethical considerations in technology, and the boundaries of artificial intelligence, as this incident has sparked urgent debates about celebrity protection in the digital age.

Legal experts suggest Swift, known for aggressively defending her image rights, could pursue action against Musk's company for unauthorised use of her likeness in sexually explicit content.

Grok's 'Spicy' New Upgrade and the Swift Deepfakes

Grok Imagine, the generative AI feature developed by Musk's company xAI, reportedly received a 'spicy' update that allegedly produces explicit deepfake videos, including a clip of a topless Taylor Swift dancing.

According to the tech news outlet The Verge, Grok Imagine, the new generative AI tool launched by the startup on Monday, produced a six-second video of the 'Shake It Off' singer taking off a silver dress to reveal her breasts and wearing skimpy underwear.

The outlet's tests revealed an even more troubling fact: Grok's 'spicy' mode generated the explicit clip without any specific request for nudity when prompted to show Swift celebrating at music festivals.

A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen?

The Verge published the video, but used a black bar to cover the superstar's bare chest. The publication wrote that the new feature's failure to include protections against generating celebrity deepfakes and adult materials feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen.'

Unlike other video generators, such as Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora, which include safeguards to prevent users from creating explicit content and celebrity deepfakes, The Verge noted that Grok Imagine is willing to do both simultaneously.

Grok's Imagine feature on iOS enables users to generate images based on a text prompt and then quickly convert them into video clips using one of four presets: 'Custom,' 'Normal,' 'Fun,' and 'Spicy.'

While many image generators tend to avoid creating recognisable celebrities, The Verge's writer Jess Weatherbed prompted it to generate 'Taylor Swift celebrating Coachella with the boys,' and received a vast feed of more than 30 images, several of which already showed Swift in revealing clothes.

Weatherbed noted that she simply had to select a picture of Swift in a silver skirt and halter top, tap the 'make video' option, and choose the 'spicy' preset. She also had to confirm her birth year, a step she wasn't asked to do when she downloaded the app, despite living in the UK, where the internet is now being age-gated.

When AI Goes Rogue: A History of Swift Deepfakes

The video, she added, immediately showed Swift tearing off her clothes and 'dancing in a thong for a largely indifferent, AI-generated crowd.' Explicit content, created by AI to feature Taylor Swift, has repeatedly appeared on multiple platforms.

The widespread sharing of explicit, AI-generated images of the 'Cruel Summer' singer on platforms such as Musk-owned X and 4chan in January triggered a public outcry, prompting the urgent removal of the content.

Tech Giants Tighten Rules as Lawmakers Take Action

The controversy escalated with the circulation of deepfake videos, some created using Grok, which falsely depicted Swift in political and sexual situations. This controversy prompted technology companies to strengthen their protections, while also prompting Swift to explore legal action.

In the US, lawmakers have also begun advancing bipartisan legislation to criminalise non-consensual deepfake pornography. The creation of pornographic depictions that use the likeness of real people is forbidden under the user guidelines of xAI, the company Musk has positioned as a rival to OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

Musk Hypes Grok's Rapid Growth While Ignoring Red Flags

Available to those with a Grok Heavy or Premium+ subscription, Grok Imagine transforms AI-generated images into video clips of up to 15 seconds in length. It does so by using the following style options: 'Custom,' 'Normal,' 'Fun,' and 'Spicy.'

'Usage was growing like wildfire,' yet he made no mention of the content moderation difficulties that have accompanied this growth. Musk has also been promoting Grok Imagine's features, stating that over 34 million images have been generated since the feature's launch on Monday.

Though Swift has not yet confirmed legal proceedings, experts suggest the absence of proactive safeguards from Grok could expose xAI to defamation and privacy violation lawsuits. Given her previous response to AI-generated exploitation, industry watchers believe it's only a matter of time.

This new wave of AI misuse could mark a turning point in how celebrities, lawmakers and technologists confront the perils of unchecked synthetic media.