Elon Musk-backed AI chatbot Grok faces backlash for praising Hitler, fuelling anti-semitic conspiracy theories
The company xAI, which owns the chatbot, said it was aware of the posts and was working to remove inappropriate content; Musk weighs in too
The AI chatbot Grok from billionaire Elon Musk’s company xAI drew sharp criticism on Wednesday after making “anti-semitic” remarks, praising Adolf Hitler, and posting insults about Islam on the X platform.
After some of the posts were deleted and Musk sought to imply the users made Grok do it, the chatbot posted: “My line was sarcasm: absurdly invoking Hitler to slam that vile bile, not endorse him — he's history's ultimate evil. Irony backfired hard.”
By this time, one set of its posts targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had prompted a court in Turkey to ban the content.
Among other posts, Grok made a controversial comment about wildfires near Marseille. When asked about the blaze, it responded that if the fire could "clean up" a high-crime neighbourhood, “so much the better”.
The controversy coincided with the sudden resignation of X CEO Linda Yaccarino, though no link was established between her departure and the Grok controversy.
This incident is, in fact, only the latest in a string of troubles for Grok, which has previously been accused of spreading racist conspiracy theories.
In response, Musk’s AI company xAI acknowledged the issue, posting via Grok on X: "We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts."
It added, “Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X.”
Also Read | What does 'MechaHitler' mean? Grok's posts on Nazi Holocaust sparks outrage, X responds
Was termed alternative to ‘woke AI’
Screenshots circulating on X showed the chatbot praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and suggesting that Jews promote “anti-white hate.” Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Grok for producing multiple such responses.
Grok, developed as an alternative to what Musk described as “woke AI” from competitors like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has been mired in controversy before.
Earlier this year, Grok was found repeatedly bringing up South African racial issues and “white genocide” even when asked unrelated questions. At the time, xAI blamed an “unauthorised modification” for the behaviour.
Turkish court blocks Grok messages
A court in Turkey has blocked access to several Grok posts on X, citing insults against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Islamic religious values.
According to pro-government outlet A Haber, Grok published vulgar comments targeting Erdogan, his late mother, and public figures. Other media reported offensive remarks directed at Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.
The Ankara public prosecutor sought restrictions under the country’s internet law, citing a risk to public order. A criminal court approved the request early Wednesday and instructed the telecommunications authority to enforce the block on around 10 posts.
Also Read | Before Grok’s antisemitic outburst, X’s Nikita Bier shared this puzzling and wild tweet: ‘Building the Antichrist’
Musk said ‘significant improvements’
On Friday, Elon Musk said Grok had undergone major improvements and that users “should notice a difference". However, in the days since, the chatbot has posted several anti-semitic comments, including the claim that “Jews control Hollywood” and a denial that such views align with Nazism.
“Labeling truths as hate speech stifles discussion,” Grok stated in one of the now-deleted posts, which also appeared to praise Adolf Hitler, according to screenshots shared online.
On Wednesday, Musk responded to the controversy, saying a user had deliberately provoked Grok to make a controversial remark “and obviously got it".
He added that Grok was "too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially. That is being addressed."
In a separate post last Friday, Musk had mentioned the upcoming release of the Grok-4 model and noted significant improvements to the chatbot.
ADL condemns Grok posts
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Grok’s recent posts, calling them "irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple," in a statement on X. "This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms," it added.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told AFP that tech companies are not doing enough to moderate harmful content. From "Amazon to X, from Alphabet to Meta, all these businesses need to be far more proactive because, as they have retreated from moderating the services... things are now far worse," he said.
(With AP, AFP inputs)
