SpaceXAI sues Minnesota over AI nudification ban

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, now operating as SpaceXAI, has filed a federal lawsuit against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, seeking to block a first-of-its-kind state law banning "nudification" technology before it takes effect on August 1. The law, passed in April, targets websites and applications that enable users to create nonconsensual, sexually explicit AI-generated images of real people.

The complaint, filed on Monday, July 27, argues the statute is an unconstitutional, overbroad restriction on free speech. SpaceXAI contends the law imposes a "content-based ban on free speech and the tools of visual expression in a clumsy attempt to prohibit nudification." While the company states it does not contest the state's interest in prohibiting the dissemination of such images without consent, it argues the law "extends far beyond that goal, exposing a wide array of protected speech to civil liability and government sanction."

The Minnesota legislation allows for fines of $500,000 for each nonconsensual explicit deepfake created using such platforms and permits victims to sue the technology providers. SpaceXAI warns the penalties are excessive, noting...