Elon Musk's xAI company has filed a lawsuit against a man who used its smart system "Groc" to create child pornography.
This lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Texas on Tuesday, is one of the first of its kind in which an artificial intelligence company is suing one of its users for misusing its technology to produce child pornography.
In its complaint, xAI accused Terry Harwood, a South Carolina man arrested last February on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children, of violating its terms of service.
The lawsuit states that Harwood uploaded ordinary photos of children and adults to the Grok system and attempted to use it to generate deepfake sexual images and videos based on them. He was also accused of creating non-consensual sexual content for adults.
This case comes at a time when xAI is facing intense global scrutiny, following previous accusations that its "Groc" system allows users to create unethical sexual content without the consent of the people appearing in it.
The company asserted in its lawsuit that it deals strictly with violators by suspending or terminating accounts, and reporting any suspicious material related to children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States.
xAI asked the court to impose unspecified financial penalties, as well as to issue an injunction permanently preventing Harwood from using the "Groc" system in the future.
In its complaint, the company described the defendant's actions as "a deliberate scheme to weaponize the company's tool for criminal purposes," exposing real victims to deep and lasting harm, and exposing the company itself to significant legal risks and reputational damage.
