Labour MP sues Musk’s xAI after Grok created fake bikini images of her
Labour MP Jess Asato has stated she is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s xAI over the design of its Grok chatbot tool after it was used to create fake images of her wearing a bikini.
The Lowestoft MP mentioned she filed a claim at the High Court on Wednesday to seek accountability for the design choices that allowed Grok to generate such images.
The MP is seeking damages but also aims to set a precedent for companies to be responsible for the design of AI systems and establish "better guardrails" for tech companies in the future.
Ms Asato told the Press Association: "By going public, we can encourage people who may have been victims of AI photo manipulation on Grok to come forward and seek legal help … to assure people that they’re not alone when this happens."
She added: "No one would be able to walk up to me on the street and strip me down to a bikini, and I don’t see why anyone should be able to do that to me online, because the feeling, while not exactly the same, is very similar.
"It feels like someone has digitally stripped me without my consent."
This follows a backlash earlier this year regarding the use of the Grok artificial intelligence tool to create false sexualized images.
Ms Asato was targeted in January after speaking up about the issue, and she addressed the Commons at that time about how Grok generated fake images of her in a bikini.
Amidst the backlash, xAI announced that users would no longer be able to use the tool to generate sexualized images of real people.
Additionally, it has since become illegal in the UK to create or request a non-consensual deepfake image of an adult.
However, Ms Asato said her claim is focused on seeking redress for "the harms that were caused while Grok was causing harm."
"If you think about any other products, like a car, for example, that might have been manufactured with a defect, it doesn’t matter if the cars get recalled and the defects are fixed and no further harm occurs.
"What matters is that the car was produced with the defect in the first place, and that’s the problem with Grok—it was created without safeguards and without guardrails to prevent such incidents from happening initially."
She emphasized that safety by design should apply as much in the online world as it does offline.
"I suppose that’s the crux of my case, to argue that it doesn’t matter how quickly issues were resolved. Once the damage is done, it’s done," she stated.
The claim filed at the High Court on Wednesday is being brought under the Data Protection Act and for tortious misuse of private information.
Ms Asato’s solicitor, Ravi Naik of law firm AWO, said: "Where there’s a wrong, the law must provide a remedy, and that holds true for artificial intelligence as with anything else.
"No one should be subjected to abuse like this, and it shouldn’t be necessary to hire a lawyer to have such images removed.
"This content existed due to design choices made by engineers at xAI. It was built intentionally.
"This is among the first claims to challenge liability for the design of an AI system, and we aim to make it clear that safety cannot be an afterthought. Ms Asato has shown commendable courage in stepping forward."
xAI has been approached for comment.
Technology & Business Editor
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