Judge denies xAI request to block Minnesota ‘nudify’ app ban

A federal judge has denied xAI's motion for a temporary restraining order against a Minnesota law prohibiting apps that generate non-consensual sexualized images from ordinary photos. The ruling allows the statute to take effect as scheduled on Aug. 1 while xAI's broader lawsuit proceeds.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank focused on the timing of xAI's request. The company filed for the restraining order on July 29, nearly three months after the law was signed and only three days before it was set to become effective. “Such a delay in bringing the action and the motion suggests that harm is not immediate,” Frank wrote.

xAI has argued that the ban, the first of its kind in the United States, is overinclusive and that less restrictive alternatives could achieve the same goals. The company's lawsuit is ongoing, meaning the legal fight over the law is not over.

The case follows an incident earlier this year in which users on X, Elon Musk's social media platform, used xAI's Grok chatbot to spread non-consensual sexualized images. That episode led to investigations and bans, putting xAI's AI tools under increased scrutiny.