MP Initiates Legal Action Against xAI Over AI-Generated Deepfake Images
Jess Asato, the Labour Member of Parliament for Lowestoft in Suffolk, has announced that she has initiated legal proceedings against Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI. The action concerns the design of xAI's Grok chatbot tool, which Asato alleges was used to create manipulated images of her in a bikini without her consent.
Asato previously expressed feelings of violation after discovering that artificial intelligence technology had been employed to generate these false images. She confirmed that the legal case was filed at the High Court on Wednesday. The MP is pursuing damages and aims to establish a legal precedent holding companies accountable for the design of AI systems.
Background and Response to Grok's Use
This legal action follows earlier controversy this year regarding the use of Grok to produce fabricated sexualised images. Asato reported being targeted in January after raising concerns and addressed the issue in the House of Commons, highlighting how Grok had been used to create fake images of her.
In response to the backlash, xAI announced restrictions preventing users from generating sexualised images of real individuals using the tool. Additionally, the UK has since enacted legislation making it illegal to create or request non-consensual deepfake images of adults.
Asato's Statement on the Legal Claim
Asato stated that her legal claim seeks redress for the harm caused while Grok was producing these images.
"The claim is about seeking redress for the harms that were created while Grok was creating harms."
She also revealed that since the announcement of her legal action, she has received numerous new images depicting her in a bikini.
"There are no social rules about how people's images are used any more," she told BBC Breakfast. "We need to be able to use the law to regain some sense of control."
Motivation Behind the Legal Action
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Asato emphasized her intention to hold technology companies like Grok accountable.
"I was by no means the worst victim affected but it made me feel dehumanised. It made me feel demeaned. My consent had not been gained and I had been stripped of my clothes without my consent,"
"I know, having spoken to many victims, they say they felt degraded, that this was some form of almost digital sexual assault."
She has encouraged others who have had their images manipulated by Grok in an abusive or demeaning manner to come forward.
"We want to show that tech companies cannot act without impunity, they need to build safeguards into their products so that people's images cannot by used or manipulated by AI, to sexualise them without their consent."
Asato drew an analogy to other products with manufacturing faults.
"If you think about any other products, like a car, for example, that might have been manufactured with a fault, it doesn't matter if, you know, the cars get recalled and the faults are fixed and no more harm is done,"
"It matters that the car was produced with the fault in the first place, and that's the problem with Grok, is that it was created without the safeguards and without the guardrails to prevent this from happening in the first place.
"I guess that's the centre of my case, is to say that it doesn't matter how quickly things were then repaired. Once the damage is done, the damage is done."
Legal Basis and Representation
The claim filed at the High Court cites violations under the Data Protection Act and alleges tortious misuse of private information.
Ravi Naik, a solicitor from law firm AWO representing Asato, commented on the case.
"Where there is a wrong, the law must provide a remedy, and that is as true of artificial intelligence as of anything else.
"No-one should be subjected to abuse like this, and no-one should have to instruct a lawyer to get images like these taken down.
"This content existed because of design choices made by engineers at xAI.
"This is one of the first claims to test liability for the design of an AI system, and we aim to make it clear that safety cannot be an afterthought."
Related Actions by Elon Musk's Companies
Previously, the social media platform X, also owned by Elon Musk, stated it would take action against illegal content on its platform. Musk himself declared:
"Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."
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