{"slug": "judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law", "title": "Judge won’t halt Minnesota anti-nudification app law", "summary": "A federal judge declined to halt Minnesota's anti-nudification law, allowing state regulators to fine technology companies up to $500,000 per violation for enabling AI-generated nude images of real people. The ruling by Judge Donovan Frank goes against xAI, the Elon Musk-associated company now under the SpaceXAI name, which sued in July claiming free speech violations. Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office will vigorously defend the law against xAI's lawsuit.", "body_md": "# Judge lets Minnesota enforce anti-nudification app law over xAI objection as case proceeds\n\n### Go Deeper.\n\nCreate an account or log in to save stories.\n\n### Like this?\n\nThanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.\n\nMinnesota officials can fine technology companies that enable creation of AI-generated nude images of real people in violation of a new state law, after a federal judge declined to put it on hold as a lawsuit proceeds.\n\nThe ruling by Judge Donovan Frank goes against xAI, the company associated with Elon Musk that now is under the SpaceXAI name. It [sued in July](/story/2026/07/28/elon-musks-company-x-ai-sues-minnesota-over-new-law-to-bar-manipulated-images-to-fake-nudity) claiming Minnesota was infringing on free speech. The case itself is still pending, but the decision permits state regulators to impose fines of $500,000 per violation in the meantime.\n\n“The state has enacted, democratically and nearly unanimously, a civil statute aimed at protecting the public from the undisputed harm stemming from AI-nudification technology and the resulting proliferation of photorealistic sexualized images,” the judge wrote.\n\nHe acknowledged the constitutional issues “are complex, particularly when considered in the context of this new technology and the risks that it poses to the public.” He said the matter will be fully examined as the case proceeds.\n\n## Turn Up Your Support\n\nMPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.\n\nFrank’s ruling notes the financial and psychological harm to people who are portrayed in the fake images of their intimate body parts. AI has also been used to create child sexual abuse materials. He said xAI waited too long to bring its lawsuit, which was filed just ahead of the Aug. 1 effective date.\n\nAttorney General Keith Ellison said the ease of generating the images creates the potential for harm, particularly when it relates to child sex abuse materials.\n\n“That repulsive behavior is not welcome in Minnesota,” Ellison said Friday. “My office and I will continue to vigorously defend the law and the Minnesotans it was designed to protect from xAI’s lawsuit.”\n\nAttorneys for the company filed a notice it would seek review of the injunction by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.\n\nIn prior arguments to the court, xAI said it would suspend features for Minnesota users out of concern it would be fined.\n\nA state motion to dismiss the company’s lawsuit is pending.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law", "canonical_source": "https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/09/04/judge-lets-minnesota-enforce-antinudification-app-law-over-xai-objection-as-case-proceeds", "published_at": "2026-09-04 20:23:27+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-07 02:12:12.457178+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Donovan Frank", "xAI", "Elon Musk", "SpaceXAI", "Keith Ellison", "Minnesota", "8th Circuit Court of Appeals"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-wont-halt-minnesota-anti-nudification-app-law.jsonld"}}