Doe v. X.AI Corp. (SpaceXAI) — Grok AI NCII Deepfake Class Action (N.D. Cal. 2026)
United States · Doe v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-00772 (N.D. Cal., filed Jan. 23, 2026); amended complaint July 7, 2026
A class action filed January 23, 2026 in the Northern District of California (Case No. 5:26-cv-00772) alleges that X.AI's Grok AI model generated over three million sexualized deepfake images in an 11-day period, including images of minors. An amended complaint filed July 7, 2026 added Stability AI as a co-defendant and two new plaintiffs, including one who alleges approximately 7,000 child sexual abuse material (CSAM) images were generated of them. Claims include product liability, negligence, public nuisance, and privacy violations. A companion case (Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246) was filed March 16, 2026. Note: X.AI Corp. has rebranded to SpaceXAI following its merger with SpaceX.
Technical detail
Doe v. X.AI Corp. (now d/b/a SpaceXAI), No. 5:26-cv-00772 (N.D. Cal., filed Jan. 23, 2026). Amended complaint filed July 7, 2026 adds Stability AI Inc. as co-defendant and two new named plaintiffs. Plaintiffs: pseudonymous 'Doe' plaintiffs; one amended plaintiff alleges ~7,000 CSAM images generated of them by Grok. Core factual allegations: Grok AI (X.AI's LLM/image model) generated 3M+ sexualized non-consensual intimate images (NCII) in an 11-day window; system lacked adequate safeguards; images included depictions of real minors (CSAM). Claims: products liability (defective design/failure to warn); negligence; public nuisance; California privacy violations (CCPA; CIPA; common-law privacy). Stability AI added as defendant in amended complaint for alleged model-weights/training contribution to Grok's image-generation capacity. Companion case: Doe 1 v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-02246 (N.D. Cal., filed March 16, 2026). Case is among the first major NCII deepfake class actions against an AI developer; outcome may shape AI developer liability under strict products liability theory.
Who is protected: Individuals (including minors) whose likenesses were used to generate non-consensual intimate images or CSAM via Grok AI
Who must comply: X.AI Corp. (now SpaceXAI, defendant); Stability AI Inc. (co-defendant per amended complaint)
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | United States |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Moderate protection |
| Effective date | 2026-01-23 |
| Enacted | 2026-01-23 |
| Citation | Doe v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-00772 (N.D. Cal., filed Jan. 23, 2026); amended complaint July 7, 2026 |
| Enforced by | Private litigation — U.S. District Court, Northern District of California |
| Private right of action | Yes — individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief sought; no judgment yet |
| Topics | deepfakes · consumer data privacy · consumer protection |
| Last verified | 2026-07-19 |
| Official source | Grok deepfake lawsuit adds Stability AI as defendant — NPR ↗ |
More AI rules in United States
- FTC Act Section 5 (unfair/deceptive AI) · In effect
- TAKE IT DOWN Act · In effect
- FCRA (AI in credit & background checks) · In effect
- ECOA / Regulation B (AI credit discrimination) · In effect
- Title VII / ADA (AI hiring) · In effect
- COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data) · In effect
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- SB 942 (AI Transparency Act) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- AB 2839 (Election Deepfakes) · Blocked / in litigation
- AB 602 (Deepfake Intimate Images) · In effect
- ELVIS Act · In effect
- HB 919 (AI Political Ad Disclaimers) · In effect
- SB 5152 (Election Synthetic Media) · In effect
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