Federal Judge Refuses to Pause Minnesota’s landmark AI Nudification Ban Ahead of Law’s Effective Date
A U.S. federal judge on Friday denied a request by Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, to temporarily block a pioneering Minnesota law prohibiting digital nudification technology. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled that the company failed to demonstrate immediate harm, noting that xAI waited until just three days before the statute’s scheduled August 1 effective date to file its motion.
Signed into law by Governor Tim Walz in May, the statute is the first in the United States to ban platforms and applications from allowing users to digitally remove clothing from images of individuals, while also prohibiting the advertisement of such services. While xAI’s constitutional lawsuit argues that the measure violates First Amendment free speech guarantees and is overly broad, the court confirmed it will maintain the law’s timeline while scheduling a formal preliminary injunction hearing for August 19.
