Musk's xAI Demands Plaintiffs in Deepfake Porn Case to Sue Under Their Real Names; Victims Lash Out: This Is Coercive Pressure

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has recently sparked significant controversy in a class-action lawsuit. Court documents show that xAI has filed a request with the court, asking four plaintiffs who accuse its AI chatbot Grok of generating deepfake pornographic images to file the lawsuit using their real names. In response, the plaintiffs strongly oppose this move, arguing that it would plunge them into a state of secondary trauma.

Currently, these four plaintiffs have registered under pseudonyms "Doe from South Carolina," "Roe from South Carolina," "Doe from New Jersey," and "Doe from Ohio" in court. They stated that while they are willing to privately disclose their true identities to xAI, they firmly demand to continue using pseudonyms in the public case records. The plaintiffs pointed out that once their identities are exposed, it would not only increase their risk of online harassment but also exacerbate the psychological harm they had detailed in their sworn statements.

In response to the plaintiffs' concerns, xAI's attorney refuted the claims in a legal document submitted on May 15. xAI argued that civil litigation typically requires listing the parties involved, and the public has a right to know. xAI claimed that the plaintiffs have not demonstrated any specific further threats and that the court has already sealed the disputed images. xAI emphasized that without disclosing the original images, merely stating that someone created a deepfake image targeting an anonymous plaintiff would not cause reputational damage, so this case does not involve significant privacy rights requiring the use of pseudonyms.

However, the written sworn affidavits submitted by the plaintiffs describe a completely different painful experience. One plaintiff said that an altered image exposed him in a revealing bikini and showed his body in a way he "would never share publicly," which made him feel "extremely sick." Another plaintiff, "Doe from New Jersey," said that after posting personal photos on X, he found that Grok had generated sexually explicit deepfake images. He openly stated that this incident drew the attention of online trolls, leading to continuous harassment and trouble caused by the use of Grok.