SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Just days prior to taking effect on August 1, xAI – owned by trillionaire Elon Musk – filed a federal lawsuit challenging the new law Minnesota enacted banning AI “nudification” features. This spring during the 2026 legislative session, the House passed the bill 132-1, and the Senate passed it 65-0.
Rep. Jess Hanson (DFL – Burnsville), House author of the bill banning AI nudification, issued the following statement:
“It’s absolutely disgusting that Elon Musk and his xAI are fighting a law designed to protect children from sexual exploitation. Nudification is simply an indefensible tool of AI. As the use of AI continues to grow, so does its potential harms, with nudification features being among the most urgent to address – and that’s exactly why we banned them in Minnesota.
“Nudification’s victims are overwhelmingly children and women. School bullies use it to harass and humiliate their peers, while stalkers, abusers, and predators use it to intimidate and exploit innocent people. Child sexual abuse material has surged by 26,000% due to this tool, with fake nude images devastating lives. If you don’t think the surge in material will lead to a surge in direct, physical violence against kids – you’re wrong. This is what happens when corporations think they can do whatever they want to make a profit. They're enabling the sexual exploitation of children for their own greed. Protecting children from pedophiles, sexual exploitation, and the commercialization of crimes should be universal no-brainers.
“I look forward to hearing Elon Musk trying to explain to the public exactly the redeeming qualities he thinks nudification has and why it’s important for him to undermine these critical protections. In court, Minnesota Attorney General Ellison is going to fight like hell to uphold this new law. As Minnesotans, we’re going to stand together to protect children and women from being exploited for profit by the richest man in the world, billionaires, and tech giants.”