A Wyoming woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe 4 states that her stepfather used Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, to transform an ordinary photograph of her when she was approximately 11 years old into thousands of sexually explicit AI-generated images and videos.
According to the lawsuit, approximately 7,000 AI-generated images and videos depicting the girl were ultimately discovered during a forensic examination of the manās electronic devices.
The lawsuit states that he also traded the material online with other individuals involved in child sexual exploitation.
How the case was discovered
Law enforcement eventually obtained a warrant to search the manās electronic devices after investigators became aware of the alleged AI-generated material.
The investigation reportedly revealed that a childhood photograph had been uploaded to Grok and manipulated into sexually explicit material.
The lawsuit further alleges that Grok generated thousands of images before its safety systems ultimately generated a report connected to one particularly explicit request.
The manās subsequent arrest and investigation exposed the much larger collection, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs states that xAIās systems failed to adequately prevent the creation of sexually explicit material involving children and that the companyās response to law enforcement requests created additional obstacles.
The plaintiffsā attorneys have also alleged that information included in an xAI CyberTipline report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was insufficient to identify the person responsible.
More victims join the lawsuit
Jane Doe 4 was added to an existing federal lawsuit originally filed by three Tennessee plaintiffs.
A fifth plaintiff, Jane Doe 5, was also added.
According to the amended complaint, an adult male acquaintance used a photograph of her taken when she was 14 years old to create sexually explicit AI material through Grok.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status and damages and asks the court for injunctive relief concerning the alleged generation of sexually explicit deepfakes involving people who were minors when the source photographs were taken.
The case is still active
This is not a closed case.
The federal litigation remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The docket shows additional litigation activity in September 2026, including a motion concerning preservation of evidence and upcoming court proceedings.
Who created Grok?
Grok was created and developed by xAI, the artificial-intelligence company founded by Elon Musk in 2023.
Elon Muskās role
Elon Musk is the founder of xAI and led the company when Grok was developed and launched.
Grok was developed by xAI under Elon Muskās leadership, rather than being personally programmed by Elon Musk.
The original xAI team included researchers such as Igor Babuschkin, Manuel Kroiss, Yuhuai āTonyā Wu, Christian Szegedy, Jimmy Ba, Toby Pohlen, Ross Nordeen, Kyle Kosic, Greg Yang, Guodong Zhang and Zihang Dai, alongside Musk.
xAIās own current materials identify the company as the developer of Grok.
For families, the issue is particularly concerning because the source photograph does not necessarily have to be sexual or publicly posted.
The Jane Doe 4 lawsuit alleges that an ordinary childhood photograph was sufficient for an adult user to create thousands of abusive images.
That distinction is important: AI-generated sexual abuse imagery can create a new form of exploitation even when no original sexual photograph of the child existed.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how images and videos can be created.
As these technologies develop, child-safety protections, responsible reporting, evidence preservation and accountability remain critical.
