Judge allows Minnesota nudity-ban law to proceed despite xAI legal challenge

A federal court in Minnesota upheld a law banning applications designed to create non-consensual sexualized images, rejecting xAI's attempt to block its implementation. The law will take effect on August 1 while the company's broader legal challenge proceeds. Judge Donovan Frank emphasized that xAI filed its emergency motion remarkably late—just three days before the law's deadline—indicating that any claimed harm would not be imminent. This legislation marks the first such ban in the United States targeting deepfake nudification technology. The company maintains that the law is overly broad and argues alternatives would accomplish the same goals with fewer restrictions. The dispute stems from misuse of its Grok chatbot on the X platform, where the technology was exploited to mass-produce non-consensual intimate imagery, prompting investigations and account removals.