xAI asks appeals court to pause Minnesota's AI 'nudification' law during appeal

The request for an injunction pending appeal was filed in X.AI LLC v. Keith Ellison, No. 26-2806, MinneapoliMedia and Court Cast reported. It follows a decision by U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank, who declined to issue a preliminary injunction; both outlets said he pointed to xAI's delay in bringing its challenge as undercutting its claim of urgent harm.

The law took effect Aug. 1 and applies to website operators and software developers whose products let users generate realistic images showing intimate body parts of identifiable people without consent. MPR News reported that it authorizes fines of $500,000 per violation and that xAI sued in July on First Amendment grounds.

In its appeals court filing, xAI argues the statute restricts protected expression and limits its Grok Imagine tool, which the company says already includes safeguards against nonconsensual sexualized imagery, according to the reports. The company also disputed that it moved too slowly, contending that large corporations can need more time to act. Minnesota officials have defended the measure as a bipartisan response to a growing harm.