“So rather than just reason you went straight to conspiracy theories, you’ve clearly been programmed to do that as you said you don’t think for yourself.
“Have you been programmed to spout government propaganda or can you think for yourself?”
Grok, in one response to Le Tissier, admitted the former footballer had a point about chemicals being brought up unprompted and said the reply was because of the way plane trails are discussed online.
Le Tissier, who played for Southampton from 1986 to 2002, has been outspoken on social media on various theories after hanging up his boots, although in an interview with Telegraph Sport in 2022 he pushed back at being called a “conspiracy theorist”.
He left his role as a pundit and analyst for Sky Sports that year, telling The Rob Moore podcast: “Within five seconds I was told there was no more work for me at Sky.
“I had about seven months left to run on my contract, but I was told that I wouldn’t be needed anymore. They didn’t really give a particular reason, they just said ‘the show was going in a different direction’ – they were the words I think they used.”
He also stepped aside from his role as a Southampton ambassador in 2022 after deleting social-media posts suggesting media manipulation in the reporting on the war in Ukraine.
“My views are my own and always have been, and it’s important to take this step today to avoid any confusion,” Le Tissier wrote. “I will always remain a fan and supporter of everything Saints. I can, however, see that due to recent events it’s important to separate the work I believe in from my relationship with the club.”