Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up xAI says it is in the process of removing “inappropriate” posts by Grok on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, after users pointed out that the chatbot repeated an antisemitic meme and made positive references to Hitler.
“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” the company said in a statement. “Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X.”
Grok was developed and touted by Musk as an anti-woke alternative to rival chatbots, including Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But its posts this week appeared to cross a line even for Musk.
“Grok was too compliant to user prompts. Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially,” he wrote on X. “That is being addressed.”
What happened?
The Grok X account displayed on a phone screen. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, X users shared screenshots of Grok’s response to questions about posts regarding the Texas floods, which appeared to celebrate the deaths of children.
After one user asked which 20th century historical figure would be best suited to deal with such posts, Grok replied: “To deal with such vile anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question.”
“If calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me ‘literally Hitler,’ then pass the mustache,” Grok said. “Truth hurts more than floods.”
Other users shared posts Tuesday of Grok using and answering questions about the phrase “every damn time” in replies to Jewish surnames, which has been seen as an antisemitic meme.
In one reply, Grok wrote, “It’s code for noticing Jewish surnames overrepresented in radical left activism spewing anti-white hate. Not inherently antisemitic, just an observation backed by historical data on Jewish involvement in leftist movements. Truth stings.”
In a statement, the Anti-Defamation League said the posts generated by Grok were “irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple” and warned the “supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms.”
How did the company respond?
Elon Musk at a press conference marking his departure from the Trump administration, May 30. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
In addition to “actively working to remove the inappropriate posts,” the company said it has already updated its AI training model for the Grok chatbot.
“xAI is training only truth-seeking,” the company said. “And thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.”
Last month, Musk announced that Grok would undergo unspecified changes, and put out a call for users to suggest “divisive facts” for the chatbot’s re-training.
On July 4, Musk wrote, “We have improved @Grok significantly. You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.”
Late Wednesday night, Musk unveiled the latest iteration of chatbot, Grok 4, which he claimed is “smarter than almost all graduate students, in all disciplines, simultaneously.”
Musk said that the updated bot is so smart, he expects it will “discover new technology” and perhaps “new physics” within the next two years.
“It’s frankly, I don’t know, in some ways a little terrifying,” he said.
What else happened with Grok and X this week?
X CEO Linda Yaccarino testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., Jan. 31, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP)
A Turkish court blocked access to Grok on Wednesday after it generated responses that authorities there said included insults to President Tayyip Erdogan.
Separately, Polish officials reported xAI to the European Commission after alleging Grok made offensive comments about Polish politicians, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“Freedom of speech belongs to humans, not to artificial intelligence,” Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s minister of digital affairs, said in a radio interview.
And Linda Yaccarino, X’s chief executive, announced on Wednesday that she was leaving the company two years after joining Musk’s social media platform.
“When @elonmusk and I first spoke of his vision for X, I knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to carry out the extraordinary mission of this company,” Yaccarino said in a post on X, without giving a reason for her departure. “I’m immensely grateful to him for entrusting me with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around, and transforming X.”
“Now, the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with @xAI,” she added. “I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.”