On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) condemned Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, urging state authorities to investigate its chatbot Grok over the creation and spread of nonconsensual AI-generated sexual images involving children.
Newsom Demands Immediate Investigation
In a post on X, Newsom called xAI’s actions “vile,” accusing the company of enabling predators to exploit AI technology.
“xAI’s decision to create and host a breeding ground for predators to spread nonconsensual sexually explicit AI deepfakes, including images that digitally undress children, is vile,” Newsom wrote.
Newsom added that he was calling on the California attorney general to “immediately investigate the company and hold xAI accountable.”
The controversy follows a December 2025 public clash between Newsom and Musk, who has long criticized California’s regulations and moved Tesla Inc.’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) headquarters to Texas in 2021.
xAI did not respond to Benzinga’s request for comments other than an automated response.
Grok Under Fire For Child Safety Concerns
The comments come amid mounting scrutiny of Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI and integrated into X.
The American Federation of Teachers has shut down its presence on X, citing Grok’s role in producing sexualized AI images of children as a breaking point.
Internationally, Malaysia and Indonesia have restricted access to Grok, saying it could be exploited to create and share child sexual abuse material.
Regulatory authorities in Europe and India have also launched investigations into the chatbot’s image-generation features.
Photo Courtesy: Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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