Elon Musk’s company xAI has successfully blocked Minnesota’s landmark ban on AI nudification apps and websites that create explicit images of people, mostly women, without consent.

In April, the Minnesota House passed HF 1606, a first-in-the-nation bill to prohibit the use of nudification technology in the state. The legislation made Minnesota the first state to take this step to prevent the creation of AI-generated non-consensual intimate images.

But in July, Musk’s xAI — which allows users to create sexual images through its Grok tool, — filed a lawsuit in federal court against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, saying that the legislation is overly broad and expands to body parts that are routinely shown in public. While xAI does not oppose Minnesota’s goal of banning nonconsensual AI-generated nude images of real people, the company argues that the law “extends far beyond that goal.” It says the law also bans a broad range of images and videos that are protected by the Constitution and could expose xAI to fines of up to $500,000 for each violation.

On Friday, Elon Musk’s xAI won a temporary halt to Minnesota’s law banning AI nudification apps and websites in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, meaning the state can no longer enforce the law while the case continues, according to Bloomberg.

The decision came after a lower court judge rejected Musk’s request last month to temporarily block the law while the lawsuit proceeds. xAI appealed that ruling, arguing that it could suffer irreparable harm if the law remained in effect. The Eighth Circuit has now granted xAI’s request for a temporary halt, allowing the law to remain unenforced while the appeals court considers the case.

In a statement to Reuters, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office says it is disappointed by ​the appeals court ruling and will defend the new state law as xAI’s ​appeal moves forward.

“Minnesota’s nudification ban outlaws AI technology products from generating sexual images that harm and harass ‌people ⁠in the vilest way possible,” Ellison spokesperson John Stiles tells Reuters.

Musk’s xAI has faced several lawsuits in recent months over allegations that its AI chatbot Grok was used to create nonconsensual sexually explicit images and videos of women, including some who were minors at the time.

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.