Minnesota's AI Nudification Ban Takes Effect Amid xAI Lawsuit
A federal judge has denied xAI's request to pause Minnesota's first-in-the-nation law banning AI 'nudify' tools, allowing the ban to take effect on August 1, 2026. The law targets AI technology that removes explicit content from images. xAI, owned by Elon Musk, is challenging the law in court. A federal court will hold a hearing on August 19 to consider a preliminary injunction.
Key points
- x.AI, an AI company owned by Elon Musk, is challenging Minnesota's law banning AI 'nudify' tools in court.
- The law, H.F. 1606, adds a new section to the Minnesota Statutes, prohibiting the use of AI technology to remove explicit content from images.
- U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank denied xAI's emergency motion for a temporary restraining order on July 31, 2026.
- The judge cited xAI's delay in filing the motion, nearly three months after the law was signed, as a reason for denying the request.
- A federal court will hold a hearing on August 19, 2026, to consider a preliminary injunction.
- The ban took effect on August 1, 2026, despite the ongoing lawsuit.
Minnesota's new law banning AI 'nudification' technology has taken effect, despite a federal judge declining to pause it. The law, H.F. 1606, adds a new section to the Minnesota Statutes, prohibiting the use of AI technology to remove explicit content from images. xAI, owned by Elon Musk, is challenging the law in court, arguing that it infringes on their right to free speech.
The judge's decision to deny xAI's emergency motion for a temporary restraining order was based on the company's delay in filing the motion. xAI filed the motion nearly three months after the law was signed, and only three days before it was set to take effect. The judge cited a prior Minnesota case in which a similar delay weighed against granting emergency relief.
The ban took effect on August 1, 2026, and a federal court will hold a hearing on August 19, 2026, to consider a preliminary injunction. The outcome of this hearing will determine whether the ban remains in place while the lawsuit is ongoing. The law is the first of its kind in the United States, and its implications for the use of AI technology in the country are still unclear.
Sources
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