Regulation & lawsuitsU.S. appeals court sides with xAI and pauses Minnesota's AI nudification ban

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an injunction sought by xAI, pausing Minnesota's anti-nudification law while the appeal proceeds. The law, in effect since August 1, bars services that let users create realistic images of intimate body parts not shown in an original photo of an identifiable person, with civil penalties of up to $500,000.

xAI sued three days before the law took effect, arguing it violates the First Amendment. A district judge denied relief, finding no irreparable harm, but the appeals court reversed. Minnesota's attorney general's office said it strongly disagrees and will keep defending the law.