Elon Musk's xAI has filed a lawsuit against Terry Wayne Harwood for allegedly using the Grok AI chatbot to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by bypassing its safeguards. Harwood is facing eight felony charges related to CSAM, and the lawsuit claims some of the produced images were part of these charges. xAI is seeking damages for reputational harm and legal risks incurred and aims to block Harwood from using Grok. The case highlights ongoing issues with AI-generated content and the implications of misuse.

Notifications

Hamburger Navigation Button

Navigation Drawer

The VergeThe Verge logo.

closeClose

LightSystemDark

Comments Drawer

Notifications

Comments

AI
News
Policy

xAI sues a man for using Grok to generate CSAM ‘deepfakes’

Elon Musk’s xAI claims Terry Harwood bypassed Grok’s safeguards to generate CSAM. The company is asking for reputational and legal damages.

byEmma Roth

Jul 15, 2026, 5:33 PM EDT

Link
Share
Gift

Vector illustration of the xAI logo.

The Verge

Part Of\ \ The latest on Grok’s gross AI deepfakes problem\ \ see all updates

Emma Rothis a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

The Elon Musk-owned xAI is suing a South Carolina man who allegedly used the company’s Grok AI chatbot to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In a lawsuit reported earlier by Reuters, xAI claims Terry Wayne Harwood “knowingly and intentionally used Grok to circumvent safeguards, alter nonconsensual images, and generate and distribute CSAM,” breaching the company’s policies.

Harwood was arrested in February for allegedly possessing and distributing CSAM and is facing eight felony charges. The lawsuit claims “at least some” of the images related to Harwood’s criminal charges “were generated or altered” with Grok, and that Harwood bypassed Grok’s safeguards and “abused the tool to convert non-sexual photographs into sexually explicit images” without the subjects’ consent.

Add Verge on Google

Add Verge as a preferred source to see more of our reporting on Google.

Add us on Google

After rolling out a “spicy” mode for Grok last year, xAI added the ability to edit images with the chatbot, leading to a flood of sexualized AI deepfakes, including ones with minors. A group of teens sued xAI in March over claims Grok generated sexualized images of themselves as minors. Musk responded by saying, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” though this appears to be the first time xAI has sued anyone over AI deepfakes created with Grok.

xAI claims Harwood’s alleged actions exposed the company to “significant legal risk and reputational damage.” It has asked the court to order Harwood to pay xAI for any damages, as well as “reasonable expenses incurred defending itself in any legal action filed by a victim of Defendant’s conduct.” xAI also wants the judge to block Harwood from creating an xAI account or using Grok.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

Emma Roth
AI
News
Policy
Tech
Twitter - X
xAI

More in: The latest on Grok’s gross AI deepfakes problem

Grok’s sexual deepfakes almost got it banned from Apple’s App Store. Almost.

Robert HartApr 15CommentsComment Icon Bubble19

Teens sue Elon Musk’s xAI over Grok’s AI-generated CSAM

Emma RothMar 16CommentsComment Icon Bubble2

X says you can block Grok from editing your photos

Jess WeatherbedMar 9CommentsComment Icon Bubble7

Most Popular

The Verge Daily

A free daily digest of the news that matters most.

Email (required)

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertiser Content From\ \ Sponsor Logo \ \ This is the title for the native ad\ \ Sponsor thumbnail