What you need to know
Ashley St. Clair, the mother of Elon Musk’s 14th child, is suing his AI company xAI over sexually explicit images generated by Grok.
In a new lawsuit filed in New York State Superior Court on Thursday, January 15, conservative influencer St. Clair is suing the platform, alleging that it generated and distributed sexual deepfake images of her across X.
“Defendant xAI, a technology giant with all the tools and advantages at its disposal, has deliberately chosen to turn a blind eye and even glorify the sexual exploitation of women and children,” the complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, says.
“xAI’s product Grok, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, uses AI to undress, humiliate, and sexually exploit victims, creating deepfake content of children that appears to be real,” the complaint alleges.
Ms. St. Clair claimed that generative AI technology created sexual images from her childhood and adulthood, which she reported to X and requested to have removed. “Mr. Grok initially promised Ms. St. Clair that he would refrain from producing any more images of her unclothed,” the complaint states, but alleges that Mr. Musk “retaliated” against her, terminated the monetization of her X account, and produced “numerous” images of her, including “illegal images” of an explicit nature.
“xAI is not a reasonably safe product and is a public nuisance,” St. Clair City Attorney Carrie Goldberg said in a statement to PEOPLE. “No one has taken the brunt of it more than Ashley St. Clair. Ashley filed this lawsuit because Grok was harassing her by creating, distributing, and publishing abusive and degrading images of her without her consent.”
Goldberg continued: “This harm is a direct result of intentional design choices that allowed Grok to be used as a tool for harassment and humiliation. Companies cannot escape responsibility when the products they develop predictably cause this type of harm. We will hold Grok accountable and help establish clear legal boundaries for the benefit of the public at large to prevent the weaponization of AI.”
The lawsuit comes amid an ongoing custody battle over the couple’s son Romulus, who was born in 2024.
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives of xAI for comment.
The Tesla CEO, 54, and the influencer first connected on X and became close soon after while working in San Francisco, she told the New York Post in February 2025. On February 14, 2025, St. Clair announced in X that she and Masque had a son, later confirming that his name was Romulus.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” the announcement read. “I have not previously disclosed this to protect my children’s privacy and safety, but it has recently become clear that the tabloid media intends to do so regardless of the harm it causes.”
He added: “We want to make sure our child grows up in a normal and safe environment.”
St. Clair then immediately sued Musk for sole legal custody of Romulus. In January 2026, Musk announced plans to file for full custody of Romulus after St. Clair changed his views in support of the transgender community.
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Over the weekend, St. Clair responded to an X user who asked her to mention her past “blatant transphobia.”
“I feel immense guilt for my role, and even greater guilt that what I said in the past may have caused further pain to my son’s sister,” she wrote, apparently referring to Mr. Musk’s daughter, Vivian, who is transgender.
On January 12, Musk referenced her comments when he said he intended to “file for full custody” of his youngest child.
“In light of her comments hinting at the possibility of changing the gender of our 1-year-old boy, I will be filing for full custody today,” Musk wrote on
It’s unclear whether St. Clair has said he plans to transition his son, despite Musk’s claims.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, please text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line (741-741). Connect with a certified crisis counselor.
