British lawmaker sues Musk's xAI over sexualised Grok images

LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) - British lawmaker Jess Asato is suing Elon Musk's xAI, saying in a statement on Wednesday the Grok AI platform had been used to create fake sexualised images of her.

Grok, distributed through Musk's social media platform X, is currently subject to regulatory probes in several countries after an outcry earlier this year over its use to create non-consensual sexualised images.

"Grok created deepfake pornography and sexualised content which harmed thousands of women and children," Asato, who is a member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party, said in a statement.

"Its ability is not an accident, nor misuse, it is a design choice by its creators. In launching this case, I am pursuing accountability for those choices."

xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In mid-January xAI said it restricted image editing in Grok, and blocked users from generating images of people in revealing clothing in "jurisdictions where it's illegal."

In early February, Reuters found that even after new curbs, Grok continued to generate sexualised images of people even when users explicitly warned that the subjects do not consent.

xAI is part of Musk's rocket and space exploration company SpaceX, which is expected to launch what could become the largest IPO in history later this month.

The statement from Asato's office said that after she condemned Grok in January, users created and shared fake images depicting her in a bikini and a video showing her "being chloroformed and prepared for a sexual assault."

In March, the City of Baltimore sued xAI, claiming the Grok's ability to create fake sexualised images violated the city's consumer protection law.

Law firm AWO said Asato had filed a claim at the High Court in England for breaches of data protection law and misuse of her private information. She is seeking remedies including damages, a formal acknowledgement that what happened to her was illegal and an order requiring xAI to stop all further illegality.

"This is one of the first claims to test liability for the design of an AI system, and we hope it will make it clear to AI developers that safety cannot be an afterthought," said Ravi Naik, legal director of AWO.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)