Attorneys for Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company appeared in a Minnesota courtroom Wednesday. They asked a judge to strike down a state law that bans AI nudification tools.
The law targets AI programs that let users create fake nude photos or videos of real people. It went into effect on August 1.
Companies that break the law face fines of $500,000 for each violation. Lawmakers said the rule protects people, including children, from becoming victims of fake AI nude images.
X.AI sued the state in late July. The company asked the court to block the law before it took effect.
What X.AI Argued in Court
Attorney Robert Dunn spoke for X.AI on Wednesday. He said the law's real goal is to restrict speech.
Dunn said he agrees that AI-created nude images are a problem. But he argued the law also blocks legal content, like parody or images people make of themselves.
He suggested the state could rewrite the law. A version with exceptions for consensual adult content and parody could avoid free speech problems, he said.
Dunn also said X.AI already has rules against nude content. He said the company has banned thousands of users for breaking those rules.
The State's Response
Attorneys for Minnesota's attorney general disagreed. They said X.AI's internal rules are not doing enough to stop the problem.
They pointed to multiple lawsuits against X.AI. Families in those cases claim the platform was used to create child sexual abuse material involving their kids.
Assistant Attorney General Janine Kimble said the law stops the problem where it starts. She said there is no proof that company policies alone can prevent this kind of content.
The bill had wide support in the state legislature. It passed the Senate without opposition and passed the House with only one vote against it.
DFL Senator Erin Maye Quade helped write the law. She spoke outside the courthouse after the hearing.
Maye Quade said companies should not be allowed to offer this kind of technology at all. She called the law narrow and specific to the behavior lawmakers wanted to stop.
Jessica Guistolise also spoke outside the courthouse. She testified at the legislature earlier this year about being the target of AI-generated nude videos made without her consent.
She said the experience left her afraid to leave her house. She said she is prepared to keep fighting for the law, even if the case reaches the Supreme Court.
Judge Donovan Frank listened to arguments from both sides Wednesday. He has not yet issued a ruling on the case.
Earlier this month, Frank denied an emergency request from X.AI. That request would have blocked the law from taking effect on August 1.
For now, the law remains active in Minnesota. If Frank rules in favor of X.AI, Maye Quade said she plans to bring a new version of the ban to lawmakers next session.
