{"id":375539,"date":"2026-08-20T11:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/?p=375539"},"modified":"2026-08-20T11:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:12:05","slug":"doj-backs-xai-in-minnesota-nudification-law-fight-files-statement-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/doj-backs-xai-in-minnesota-nudification-law-fight-files-statement-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ backs xAI in Minnesota nudification law fight: files statement of interest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped into the xAI v. Minnesota fight, filing a statement of interest that largely supports xAI\u2019s challenge to Minnesota\u2019s new \u201cnudification\u201d law. The law is set to take effect on <strong>August 1, 2026<\/strong>, and it would bar websites and apps from offering tools that can generate realistic nude images of identifiable people.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minnesota\u2019s law allows for civil penalties of up to <strong>$500,000 per violation<\/strong>. The Justice Department argues that the measure may go further than federal rules because it targets the tool itself, which could create strict liability, raise First Amendment problems, and chill image-generation development in ways that may affect U.S. competitiveness and national security.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its late-July 2026 lawsuit, xAI argues that the law restricts protected speech because it sweeps too broadly, doesn\u2019t require intent to harass or a <strong>lack of consent<\/strong>, and defines covered images too loosely. The Justice Department points to the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act as a narrower model, saying that law focuses on nonconsensual dissemination and includes limits tied to consent and intent.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minnesota, for its part, says the law is aimed at harmful conduct, not speech, after reports that women\u2019s photos were used to create explicit content without permission. The state also says the bipartisan measure, which passed with <strong>near-unanimous support<\/strong>, is meant to stop abuse before those images are created and spread.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A judge heard xAI\u2019s request for a preliminary injunction on <strong>August 19, 2026<\/strong>, after previously denying a temporary restraining order. If you follow <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/the-european-union-sets-its-sights-on-ai-with-this-pioneering-international-law\" rel=\"noopener\">AI regulation<\/a>, this is a case to keep an eye on in the federal courts.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped into the xAI v. Minnesota fight, filing a statement of interest that largely supports xAI\u2019s challenge to Minnesota\u2019s new \u201cnudification\u201d law. The law is set to take effect on August 1, 2026, and it would bar websites and apps from offering tools that can generate realistic nude images &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/doj-backs-xai-in-minnesota-nudification-law-fight-files-statement-of-interest\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;DOJ backs xAI in Minnesota nudification law fight: files statement of interest&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9325,"featured_media":375538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-375539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375540,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375539\/revisions\/375540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375539"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=375539"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=375539"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=375539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}