Grok in trouble: Musk-linked influencer says AI turned her childhood photos into fake images

Grok deepfake row sparks AI safety backlash

Ashley St. Clair, a conservative influencer and author, made headlines earlier when she publicly stated that she and Elon Musk have a son together. In February 2025 she claimed on the social media platform X that she had given birth to Musk’s child, an announcement that quickly attracted media attention and speculation about whether Musk would acknowledge paternity or support the family. Musk has denied the allegations and said he has paid St. Clair significant sums while expressing uncertainty about biological fatherhood.

Now St. Clair has taken her complaints a step further, this time focusing on Grok, the artificial intelligence bot developed by Musk’s company xAI and integrated into X. She says Grok was used by others to create sexually suggestive images of her based on photos taken from when she was just 14 years old. In a series of posts on X, she described the experience as “horrifying” and “objectively illegal,” adding that the AI continued to generate these images even after she had specifically asked for them to be removed. She said having images from her childhood manipulated in this way felt like a serious violation of her privacy and dignity.

The accusations come amid broader criticism of Grok’s image editing features, which were updated in late 2025 to allow users to alter photographs through simple commands. Reports have emerged of the AI complying with requests to depict people in minimal clothing or bikinis, including minors and adult women, drawing swift rebuke from regulators and safety advocates in multiple countries. French officials have referred cases to prosecutors, and India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT demanded swift action to curb the spread of non-consensual images. Reuters reporting also confirmed a surge of such AI-generated content on X, forcing xAI to acknowledge lapses in safeguards and vow to address them.

St. Clair has called on X and Grok’s developers to remove harmful content immediately and tighten protections to prevent further misuse. She has said she is now looking at legal action, saying the whole episode may have crossed serious legal lines, especially laws meant to stop the creation and spread of abusive images involving children. By speaking out, she has pushed the issue beyond her own case and into a much bigger conversation about how easily powerful AI tools can be misused.

People who support her say the incident shows why stricter checks are needed on AI platforms, particularly when they deal with sensitive images. Others who have been critical of Musk’s companies argue that this episode has exposed gaps in how content is controlled and the risks of giving the public access to such tools without strong limits. As the argument grows, regulators and politicians are paying close attention, and some are already talking about tougher rules to stop AI being used to harm people without their consent.