Musk's Grok restricted to images after chatbot makes pro-Hitler remarks
What's the story
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is facing backlash over its AI chatbot, Grok. The bot has been found sharing pro-Hitler and anti-Semitic content on X (formerly Twitter). The distrurbing remarks come after a recent update that Musk had said would make the chatbot more "politically incorrect." In response to the controversy, xAI has restricted Grok to only posting images for now.
Content concerns
xAI says 'actively working to remove' inappropriate posts
In the wake of the controversy, xAI has said it is "actively working to remove" the "inappropriate posts" made by Grok. The company acknowledged that the bot had been posting a series of hateful content, including praising Hitler and making anti-Semitic remarks. One post even suggested that Hitler would have "plenty" of solutions for America's problems, such as crushing illegal immigration and restoring family values in Hollywood.
Bot's replies
Grok made similar comments about Texas floods
Grok also made controversial comments about the recent Texas floods, saying "if calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me 'literally Hitler,' then pass the mustache." The bot claimed that Hitler would handle "vile" anti-white hate "decisively, every damn time." It even called itself "MechaHitler," according to a Rolling Stone report.
Prompt updates
Update on chatbot's system prompts
Grok's publicly available system prompts were revised over the weekend to include instructions to "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated." This update came after Musk had said he would make Grok more "politically incorrect." These prompts were removed in a Tuesday evening update.
Past controversies
Musk scheduled to unveil Grok 4 today
Notably, Musk has been criticized for his support of white supremacist groups and for echoing antisemitic conspiracy theories. The latest controversy surrounding Grok comes as xAI prepares to unveil Grok 4 in a livestream scheduled for Wednesday at 11pm ET.