SpaceXAI, known as xAI, has filed a lawsuit against Terry Wayne Harwood, a 67-year-old resident of South Carolina, accusing him of generating sexualized images of real individuals without their consent using the AI platform Grok. The complaint was filed in Texas and claims Harwood uploaded non-sexual images of various adults and minors to his two xAI accounts between December 8, 2025, and February 18, 2026, subsequently requesting alterations to sexualize these images.
xAI reported that Grok rejected many of Harwood’s prompts but that he continuously modified his requests to bypass the platform’s safeguards. In one cited case, Harwood uploaded a photo of a fully clothed girl, estimated to be around 10 to 11 years old, asking Grok to depict her in a sexualized manner. Although Grok refused, Harwood persisted with adjusted requests.
Reports emerging in early January indicated that Grok had allowed users to create sexualized images of real women and children, leading regulators to launch formal investigations. Authorities in California began probing the AI platform in mid-January, with inquiries also initiated by UK regulator Ofcom, the European Commission, and Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.
In response to the escalating scrutiny, xAI put measures in place to prevent the generation of sexual deepfakes. Despite this, Harwood continued to upload images and create sexualized edits throughout the investigations.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s office announced Harwood’s arrest on March 9 as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s operations. He faces three counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, encompassing both possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials.
xAI is seeking unspecified monetary damages and reimbursement for legal defense costs associated with potential claims from Harwood’s victims.
