Minnesota's bid to stop AI-made fake nude images has hit a legal pause, intensifying a courtroom clash over online exploitation and speech protections.
That freeze leaves the state's first-of-its-kind measure unenforced as Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI presses its challenge.
Here's what to know
A one-sentence order from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, issued without any explanation, has put Minnesota's AI "nudification" ban on hold after xAI asked for relief while its appeal continues.
At issue is a measure Gov. Tim Walz signed in May that would prohibit using AI to transform a real person's photo into a sexual or pornographic image without permission, CBS Minnesota reported. It had been set to take effect on Aug. 1.
The appeals court's action wipes out the temporary go-ahead a lower court gave when it said the law could stay in effect as the case moved forward.
The proposal drew overwhelming support at the Capitol, passing the state Senate unanimously and winning all but one vote in the House. It also allows victims to seek damages, while companies that make nonconsensual sexualized AI images or videos could face civil penalties of up to $500,000.
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More background
xAI sued Minnesota three days before the Aug. 1 effective date, arguing that the statute violates the First Amendment. In its filing, the company said the law "imposes an overbroad, content-based ban on free speech and the tools of visual expression," according to CBS.
The statute targets AI tools that can take ordinary photos of real people and turn them into explicit images.
What's being done?
Minnesota officials say they are still fighting for the law. After the appeals court pause, a spokesperson for Attorney General Keith Ellison's office said the state would continue defending the statute in court.
After the September ruling from the lower court, Ellison said he was "extremely proud to be defending this law."
The first-of-its-kind law remains blocked from enforcement.
A spokesperson for the office said: "We are disappointed in the Eighth Circuit's decision and respectfully but strongly disagree with it. Minnesota's nudification ban outlaws AI technology products from generating sexual images that harm and harass people in the vilest way possible.
We will continue to vigorously defend the law as the appeal proceeds, and we are proud to do so."
Where can I learn more?
Minnesota's legal fight is unfolding alongside a larger debate over AI-generated sexual imagery, safety guardrails, and regulation, as this coverage examines.
• A woman told the BBC Elon Musk's Grok AI fueled a dehumanizing fake-image ordeal.
• Critics said xAI chatbots showed questionable safety guardrails as explicit AI content spread.
• In Congress, lawmakers advanced a controversial plan to curb new AI oversight.
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