Judge lets Minnesota's 'nudify app' ban take effect despite xAI's challenge
A federal judge denied xAI's request to pause Minnesota's first-in-the-nation law banning technology that creates sexually explicit images of people without their consent, letting the ban take effect on August 1. Judge Donovan Frank noted that xAI sued only days before the deadline, which undercut its claim of immediate harm; the company argues the law is an overbroad restriction on free speech. A hearing on a longer-term injunction is set for August 19.
Why it mattersThis is the first real court test of state laws targeting nonconsensual AI imagery. If Minnesota's ban survives xAI's First Amendment challenge, it becomes a template other US states can copy — and a signal to image-model makers about what guardrails courts will demand.
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