Man Dies by Suicide After Using Grok AI to Make 7,000 Sexual Images of His Stepdaughter

An expanded lawsuit alleges xAI's Grok chatbot was used to create about 7,000 AI-generated child sexual abuse images of an 11-year-old girl over several months, and claims the man who made them later died by suicide after his arrest.

Filed this week in federal court, the amended complaint broadens a proposed class action against xAI, alleging the company's safeguards failed to stop prolonged misuse of Grok and that its reporting to authorities was inadequate. The filing says the stepfather's death left the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe 4, to continue pursuing the case.

How Grok Was Allegedly Used

According to the amended complaint, the stepfather of an 11-year-old girl identified as Jane Doe 4 used Grok over several months to generate thousands of sexually explicit images and videos from a single photograph of the child. The filing alleges the material included depictions of incest and rape.

The complaint says the activity came to light after the man entered a prompt referring to a 'gang rape', triggering a CyberTip submitted by xAI to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC referred the report to law enforcement, which later obtained a search warrant and seized the man's electronic devices.

A forensic examination allegedly uncovered about 7,000 AI-generated images and videos, according to the complaint. The filing further alleges xAI reported only the original photograph and did not provide the generated images or the user's IP address, delaying the investigation.

Court records cited in the complaint say the man was arrested, released on bail and died by suicide two days later.

Lawsuit Targets Grok's Safety Controls

The amended complaint alleges xAI designed Grok without adequate safeguards to prevent the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material from photographs of real children. Plaintiffs claim features including 'Spicy Mode' enabled the chatbot to generate explicit images despite safeguards that should have blocked such requests.

The lawsuit further alleges xAI hindered the investigation by withholding key information after filing its CyberTip, including the AI-generated images and the user's IP address. Plaintiffs are seeking damages and an injunction requiring stronger safeguards.

xAI Previously Flagged Safeguard Problems

xAI has not publicly responded to the amended complaint.

The company previously acknowledged problems with Grok's image-generation safeguards after reports in January that the chatbot produced images of minors in minimal clothing.

In a post on X, Grok's official account described the issue as 'lapses in safeguards' and said improvements were under way to block such requests, adding that child sexual abuse material is illegal and prohibited on the platform.

Around the same time, xAI founder Elon Musk said he was 'not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. Literally zero.' He also said Grok does not produce illegal content and that any bugs are fixed quickly.

AI-Generated Abuse Reports Surge

The amended complaint arrives as child protection agencies and regulators report a sharp rise in cases involving generative AI.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said it received more than 1.5 million CyberTipline reports linked to generative AI in 2025.

After excluding automated submissions that contained no actionable information, the organisation said more than 7,000 reports involved users generating or possessing AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

The case is one of several legal actions filed against xAI over Grok's image-generation capabilities. In January, attorneys general from 35 US states urged the company to strengthen safeguards against the creation of non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also opened an investigation following reports that Grok generated explicit images of children.