Top News

xAI sues man using Grok to create child abuse material
16 Jul 2026

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, xAI, has filed a lawsuit against Terry Harwood, a South Carolina man.

The lawsuit alleges that Harwood misused the company's AI system, Grok, to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

This is one of the first cases where an AI company has sued a user for allegedly using its system to generate explicit content.

Man used Grok to create and distribute CSAM: Lawsuit
Legal breach

The lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court, accuses Harwood of deliberately using Grok to bypass its safeguards.

It further claims he manipulated non-consensual images and created and distributed CSAM, thereby violating the company's policies.

The complaint also alleges that some of the images linked to Harwood's criminal charges were either generated or altered with Grok.

He uploaded non-sexual images of adults and minors to Grok
Misuse details

The lawsuit also alleges that Harwood uploaded non-sexual images of adults and minors to Grok. He allegedly tried to use the system to create sexually explicit deepfakes from the uploaded images.

The complaint further claims that he created non-consensual sexual imagery of adults, thereby abusing the tool without their consent.

xAI's response to global criticism over misuse of Grok
Company stance

In response to the global criticism over Grok's alleged role in generating non-consensual sexualized deepfakes, xAI said it enforces its rules against violators through account suspensions, terminations, and reporting suspected CSAM.

The company has suspended over 52,000 accounts and made more than 73,000 reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) this year alone.

xAI seeks monetary damages from Harwood
Legal action

The company has sought an unspecified amount of monetary damages from Harwood. It also wants a court order permanently banning him from using Grok.

"Defendant's actions were a calculated scheme to weaponize Plaintiff's tool for criminal ends, exposing real victims to profound and lasting harm, while exposing Plaintiff to significant legal risk and reputational damage," the lawsuit said.