{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T07:28:24.528Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"adult","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2025","response":"minors","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":0,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":1,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":0,"minors":1,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":0,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2025-south-carolina-alleged-grok-sexual-image-abuse","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Caption: \"Case 7:26-cv-00078-O Document 1 Filed 07/14/26\"; \"FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS\"; \"FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION (Breach of Contract)\"; \"DATED: July 14, 2026\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"\"The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"X.AI LLC filed a breach-of-contract complaint against the user in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, dated 14 July 2026 (case 7:26-cv-00078).","causal_attribution":"The filing itself establishes that the complaint exists, where and when it was filed, and what it pleads."},{"id":"c2","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Paragraph 27: \"A review of Defendant's xAI accounts shows that on numerous occasions between at least as early as December 8, 2025 and at least as late as February 18, 2026\"; \"Defendant uploaded non-sexual images of numerous adults and minors, which Defendant then utilized, or attempted to utilize, Grok to alter and/or generate new images and/or videos depicting those individuals in a pornographic manner or otherwise sexualizing them. Upon information and belief, Defendant did so without those individuals' consent.\" Paragraph 26: \"on December 8, 2025 and December 10, 2025, respectively\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"\"the defendant uploaded non-sexual images of numerous adults and minors to his two xAI accounts from December 8, 2025 until February 18, 2026\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"xAI's complaint alleges that its review of the user's two accounts shows that, on numerous occasions from at least as early as 8 December 2025 until at least as late as 18 February 2026, he uploaded non-sexual images of numerous adults and minors and used, or tried to use, Grok to alter them or generate new images and videos sexualising the people shown, without their consent.","causal_attribution":"The complaint documents xAI's allegation, based on its own review of the accounts and partly pleaded on information and belief. No court has ruled on it and no response from the user is in the inspected record."},{"id":"c3","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Paragraph 7: \"abused the tool to convert non-sexual photographs into sexually explicit images without the photograph subjects' knowledge or consent.\" Paragraph 29: \"some of the obscene images produced by Defendant involved the likeness of minor children.\" Paragraph 8: \"Upon information and belief, Defendant generated, possessed, and distributed child sexual abuse material\"; \"of both minors and adults.\" Paragraph 41: \"by leveraging Grok to generate non-consensual sexually explicit images and CSAM.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"\"Defendant breached the xAI Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy by leveraging Grok to generate non-consensual sexually explicit images and CSAM,\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that Grok produced sexually explicit images from the photographs, that some of those images involved the likeness of minor children, and that the user generated child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate imagery of minors and adults.","causal_attribution":"These are the provider's own allegations about its system's output. They are allegations in a pleading and are not independently verified; no image or victim account is in the inspected record."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Paragraph 28: \"Defendant submitted prompts to Grok to alter such images to sexualize the subjects of the images, which Grok responded to by refusing to follow the prompts on the basis that such material violated Grok's content moderation guardrails. In response, Defendant repeatedly submitted further prompts, with alterations, in an effort to circumvent Grok's moderation efforts.\" Paragraph 31: \"Grok refused to generate content in response to this prompt\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"\"but that he repeatedly submitted edited prompts to circumvent the AI's safeguards\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The complaint alleges that Grok refused the user's sexualising prompts on numerous occasions, citing its moderation guardrails, and that he repeatedly resubmitted altered prompts to get around them.","causal_attribution":"xAI's account of its own safeguards. The complaint does not say which altered prompts succeeded or how many images Grok produced."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"\"MAR 09, 2026\"; \"Investigators received CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to\"; \"possessed and distributed files of child sexual abuse material\"; \"was arrested on February 26, 2026\"; \"He is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count; and five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410)\"; \"Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Paragraph 34: \"On March 9, 2026, the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General publicly announced\"; \"Plaintiff is actively providing its full support to the ongoing prosecution.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The South Carolina Attorney General announced on 9 March 2026 that the man had been arrested on 26 February 2026 after NCMEC CyberTipline reports and charged with three counts of second-degree and five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; investigators state that he possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material. The release does not mention AI and says all defendants are presumed innocent.","causal_attribution":"The release establishes the arrest and the charges, which are accusations. It does not say whether the charged material was made with Grok."},{"id":"c6","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Paragraph 35: \"were generated or altered through Defendant’s violative use of Grok.\" Paragraph 8: \"Plaintiff’s initial detection and reporting to law enforcement of Defendant’s conduct was key to Defendant’s arrest\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"xAI pleads, on information and belief, that at least some of the images at issue in the criminal case were generated or altered through the user's use of Grok, and says its detection and reporting were key to his arrest.","causal_attribution":"The link between the criminal charges and Grok output rests only on xAI's pleading on information and belief; the attorney general release does not make it."},{"id":"c7","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"Prayer for relief: \"Declare that Defendant has breached the xAI Terms of Service\"; \"Order that Defendant indemnify Plaintiff for all reasonable expenses incurred defending itself in any legal action filed by a victim of Defendant’s conduct\"; \"Enter a permanent injunction enjoining Defendant from attempting to create any xAI accounts, or from otherwise using Grok\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"\"It wants the court to order the defendant to pay for the expenses it incurs to defend itself in any legal action that might be filed by his victims.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"xAI asks the court to declare a breach of its terms, order the user to indemnify it for costs of defending any action brought by a victim of his conduct, award damages and permanently bar him from Grok.","causal_attribution":"Relief requested in the pleading; no ruling is in the inspected record."}],"effects":[{"label":"Real adults and children depicted, without consent, in sexualised images that xAI says Grok produced from their photographs","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.423147/gov.uscourts.txnd.423147.1.0_3.pdf","kind":"court_filing","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English complaint (ECF 1, 12 pages) read in full on 2026-10-14 with pdftotext by the research agent; no translation required.","independence_group":"xai-complaint"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/four-upstate-men-arrested-on-child-sexual-abuse-material-charges/","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English release dated MAR 09, 2026 on the page, read in full on 2026-10-14; no translation required. It announces four unrelated arrests and does not mention AI or Grok.","independence_group":"sc-attorney-general-release"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.engadget.com/2216382/xai-sues-grok-user-generating-nonconsensual-sexualized-deepfakes/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English report of 16 July 2026 read in full on 2026-10-14; no translation required. It relays the complaint and the attorney general release, so it shares their origins.","independence_group":"xai-complaint"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/business/xai-sues-user-alleged-child-sexual-abuse-materials","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English report of 15 July 2026 (US time) read in full on 2026-10-14; no translation required. It relays the complaint.","independence_group":"xai-complaint"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["No depicted person is identified, counted or located in any inspected source, and whether any has been told or has brought a claim is unknown.","How many images or videos Grok actually produced, and which of the altered prompts succeeded, is not stated.","Whether the material behind the South Carolina charges is Grok output rests only on xAI's pleading on information and belief; the attorney general release does not say.","The user's response to the civil complaint and the status of both the civil and the criminal case after July 2026 were not established.","Where the accounts were used is not stated."],"geography":{"basis":"Courts: the civil complaint is in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas (s1 caption) and the criminal charges were brought in South Carolina (s2; s1 paragraph 34). No source says where the accounts were used: the complaint gives only the place the user is believed to reside, and residence does not locate the event. The depicted people's locations are not reported. Event and affected-person countries are therefore unknown; the 2026-09-16 review had recorded the event in the US from the residence.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as an attributed account from the provider's own court complaint, which describes its image tool turning photographs of real adults and children into sexual images, together with the state attorney general's arrest release. The allegations and charges are unproven and recorded as such; the depicted people are unidentified and uncounted, and the accused user is not named in the public narrative.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-14"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The provider's own complaint, based on its review of the user's accounts, alleges that Grok altered uploaded photographs of real adults and minors into sexually explicit images and videos after he resubmitted prompts that Grok had refused, and that some of the images involved the likeness of children (s1 paragraphs 7, 27 to 29, 41). Those depicted are the harmed people. The attorney general release does not mention AI, and no court has ruled on the allegations.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"xAI complaint alleges a South Carolina user made Grok sexualise photographs of adults and children","summary":"xAI filed a civil complaint in July 2026 alleging that a South Carolina user, between December 2025 and February 2026, uploaded non-sexual photographs of numerous adults and minors and used Grok to alter them or generate new sexualised images and videos without their consent, resubmitting prompts after Grok refused. xAI says on information and belief that some images in his criminal case came from Grok. The state attorney general had announced his arrest on three second-degree and five third-degree counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in a release that does not mention AI. The civil and criminal accusations are unproven.","incidentDate":"2025-12-08","incidentEndDate":"2026-02-18","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-15","aiSystem":"Grok (xAI image generation and editing)","aiProduct":"Grok","aiCompany":"xAI (X.AI LLC, the plaintiff; Engadget calls the company SpaceXAI)","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"verified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Per xAI's complaint, real adults and minors had non-sexual photographs of themselves turned into sexualised images or videos by Grok at the user's prompting, without their consent. No depicted person is identified in the inspected sources.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":0,"affectedCountStatus":"unquantified","affectedCountEvidence":"The complaint refers to numerous adults and minors without a count; its one worked example is a request Grok refused, and the attorney general release counts charges, not victims. No reliable count of depicted people exists, so the count is unquantified with zero placeholders.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"chatbot","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.423147/gov.uscourts.txnd.423147.1.0_3.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"X.AI LLC complaint, N.D. Tex. case 7:26-cv-00078, 14 July 2026","firstPublishedAt":"2026-08-04T02:56:01.27043+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T03:10:40.333616+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["grok","xai","deepfake","csam","lawsuit","south-carolina","depicted-or-impersonated","terms-of-service"]}]}