Baltimore City sues X over Grok's A.I. role in non-consensual sexualized deepfakes
Baltimore City has filed a lawsuit against X, formerly Twitter, over the use of the generative artificial intelligence system Grok.
The lawsuit alleges that X violates Baltimore's Consumer Protection Ordinance by designing, marketing, and deploying a generative Grok, which the city says "produces and disseminates non-consensual sexualized images, including content involving minors."
City officials said Baltimore is among the first municipalities to act against X and Grok by using its consumer protection authority to address the widespread harm caused by AI-generated deepfakes and protect its residents.
"These deepfakes, especially those depicting minors, have traumatic, lifelong consequences for victims, who are left with no way to prevent the spread of disturbing, sexualized images created of them without their consent," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott stated. "We're talking about tech companies enabling the sexual exploitation of children. Our city will not stand by and allow this to continue; it's a threat to privacy, dignity, and public safety, and those responsible must be held accountable."
Lawsuit's allegations
The lawsuit against X alleges that Grok allows its social media users to "generate and manipulate images of real people into sexually explicit, degrading, or otherwise harmful content."
The lawsuit also claims Grok's features allow users to "undress or sexualize individuals, including private citizens and children, without their consent, exposing Baltimore residents to serious privacy violations, harassment, and psychological harm."
The complaint says that while X markets Grok as a safe and general-purpose AI assistant, it fails to disclose its ability to generate explicit deepfake content.
"Baltimore's consumer protection laws exist to safeguard residents from exactly this kind of emerging harm," Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said. "When companies introduce powerful technologies without adequate guardrails, the City has both the authority and the obligation to act. We are stepping in now to protect our residents, hold these companies accountable, and prevent these harms from becoming further entrenched as this technology continues to evolve."
Baltimore leaders also claim that X failed to provide meaningful safeguards, age verification, or content controls, and instead monetized the technology by placing certain high-risk features behind a paid subscription model after widespread abuse had already occurred.
"Baltimore has been the tip of the spear in using consumer protection laws to confront new and evolving harms, and this case continues that leadership," said Adam Levitt, a founding partner of DiCello Levitt Law Firm. "The City is setting a powerful example for municipalities nationwide in confronting a novel and rapidly advancing technology — and an emerging area of law — where accountability has not yet caught up with innovation."
