Elon Musk‘s SpaceXAI, formerly xAI, persuaded a federal appeals court on Friday to halt Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation ban on AI-generated fake nude images while it pursues a constitutional challenge to the law.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis granted xAI’s request for an injunction, putting the law on hold for now. A lower court judge rejected the same bid last month, Reuters reported.
What the Law Does
Minnesota’s anti-“nudification” law took effect Aug. 1. It bars website operators, software developers and others from letting users create realistic images showing an intimate body part not visible in an original photo of an identifiable person.
The company argues the measure curbs free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Lower Court’s Ruling
Last month, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled that xAI had not shown it would suffer irreparable harm during the case. He also said the company waited too long to seek emergency relief.
The company disputed the delay finding on appeal. It said its Grok Imagine tool has “rigorous protections” against creating nudified or sexualized images of real people. The company has also begun suing users it accuses of evading Grok’s blockers, the report added.
Minnesota Vows to Fight On
Attorney General Keith Ellison‘s office said it is disappointed and will defend the law as the appeal proceeds, the report noted. Ellison’s spokesperson John Stiles said the ban targets AI products that generate sexual images that “harm and harass people.”
The state said it adopted the law to combat a “staggering amount” of child sexual abuse material produced by AI products like Grok Imagine.
SpaceXAI and the Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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