Hate speech is generally protected by the First Amendment in the United States, but lawyers could argue that some of Grok’s output this week crossed the line into unlawful behavior, such as cyberstalking, because it repeatedly targeted someone in ways that could make them feel terrorized or afraid, said Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Virginia.
“These synthetic text machines, sometimes we look at them like they’re magic or like the law doesn’t go there, but the truth is the law goes there all the time,” Citron said. “I think we’re going to see more courts saying [these companies] don’t get immunity: They’re creating the content, they’re profiting from it, it’s their chatbot that they supposedly did such a beautiful job creating.”
- Date Published:7.12.2025
- Original Publication: Washington Post