xAI sues Minnesota over new law banning AI ‘nudification’ tools

7:45 PM ET · July 30, 2026

xAI filed suit in federal court against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison this week, seeking to block a state law set to take effect August 1 that bans AI tools capable of producing nonconsensual nudified images of real people. The law, House File 1606, holds the owners and operators of AI image platforms strictly liable when their software is used to alter or generate images depicting intimate body parts, with civil penalties reaching $500,000 per violation. xAI’s complaint argues the statute is unconstitutionally overbroad, contending that its definition of “intimate part,” which covers the inner thigh, buttocks, groin or breast of any person, would criminalize routine, non-sexual edits such as depicting someone in a swimsuit or without a shirt, not just genuinely exploitative deepfakes. Ellison defended the law in response, saying “AI nudification robs the target of their dignity and could cause them immense harm on many levels.” The case adds xAI to a growing list of AI companies challenging state level content restrictions in court, and comes as several US states move to regulate nonconsensual synthetic imagery ahead of federal legislation on the issue.