Doe v. X.AI (Grok NCII deepfakes class action)
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
- Status
- Blocked / in litigation
- Took effect
- January 23, 2026
- Applies to
- X.AI Corp. (now SpaceXAI, defendant); Stability AI Inc. (co-defendant per amended complaint)
- Enforced by
- Private litigation — U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
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.
Who is protected: Individuals (including minors) whose likenesses were used to generate non-consensual intimate images or CSAM via Grok AI
Legal 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.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | United States |
|---|---|
| Level | Federal |
| Enacted | January 23, 2026 |
| Citation | Doe v. X.AI Corp., No. 5:26-cv-00772 (N.D. Cal., filed Jan. 23, 2026); amended complaint July 7, 2026 |
| 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 |
| News report | Grok deepfake lawsuit adds Stability AI as defendant — NPR |
More AI rules in United States
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- Chatrie v. United States (Fourth Amendment protection for location… · Blocked / in litigation
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- NAIC AI Evaluation Tool Pilot (12 states, 2026) · Proposed / pending
- FTC Proposed Policy Statement — AI Accuracy (July 2026) · Proposed / pending
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- Arizona HB 2678 — AI-generated CSAM criminalized · In effect
- MN HF 1606 AI Nudification Ban (2026) · In effect
- xAI v. Ellison (MN nudification ban challenge) · Blocked / in litigation
- NY AG · In effect
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