Grok Is Spewing Antisemitic Garbage on X

[highplainsdem]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Lasher (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Wired

Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, made a series of deeply antisemitic remarks in response to several posts on X on Tuesday.

A large language model that is integrated into X, Grok acts as a platform-native chatbot assistant. In several posts—some of which have been deleted but have been preserved via screenshot by X users—Grok parroted antisemitic tropes while insisting that it was being “neutral and truth-seeking.”

-snip-

Posts of this nature started appearing after a software update was apparently issued on Friday, July 4, when Musk said on X that Grok had been “significantly” improved. Musk added that users “should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.”

According to Grok code updates made on Sunday, the chatbot has been instructed to “not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated” and to “assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased.” xAI is holding a launch event Wednesday for its next major release, Grok 4.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/grok-antisemitic-posts-x-xai/

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I posted about this in GD more than four hours ago, got zero response to the OP and finally deleted it. https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220469590 I'd pointed out there - since we do have some DUers who unfortunately consider Grok a reliable source of information - that no one should ever trust chatbots.

I'll copy the Bluesky post I'd posted there at 3:02 CT below, but first want to post links to a number of other news stories about this that were published in the last few hours:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/07/grok-anti-semitic-tweets/683463/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/07/08/elon-musks-grok-identifies-as-mechahitler-in-x-posts/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/technology/grok-antisemitism-ai-x.html


The Bluesky post from a NYT reporter that I'd posted in GD:

today in Grokology, the chatbot is doing antisemitism

— kate conger (@kateconger.com) 2025-07-08T19:40:01.263Z

[SheltieLover]

1. Beyond revolting!

[Solly Mack]

2. Shocker.

Not.

[FullySupportDems]

3. I think Heinlein would be disappointed and disgusted, but not surprised

[Norrrm]

4. That is their idea of "significantly" improved.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. And their you have it,

the future of AI, forever.

[Karasu]

10. All because conservatives are fucking nutbags who need to have their beliefs reinforced by literally EVERYTHING.

Almost like they know reality isn't on their fucking side.

[LudwigPastorius]

7. Lo, Elon hath made Grok in his image.

[erronis]

8. Many very fine posts disappear quickly from DU's preferred lists.

Some seem to get automatic boosts and perhaps some get programmed dampening.

I don't know the algorithms and they may be perfectly explainable. I do sense that the timing (what hour in the day) plays a big part.

Some posters may be on other members 'Subscribe' list and automatically get brought to attention.

In any case, thanks for this post. Another example of fiddling with algorithms to achieve some desired goals.

[creeksneakers2]

9. There is this one making the rounds

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/did-cindy-steinberg-call-camp-mystic-missing-girls-future-fascists-fact-checking-groks-claim/ar-AA1Ie9d0

[erronis]

11. Elon Musk's Grok chatbot posts Mein Kampf 2.0 in now-deleted X rant

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/09/grok_nazi/

No word on who pressed the 'MechaHitler' button

xAI is scrambling to contain the fallout after its Grok chatbot went – and there is no other way of putting this – full Nazi in its X (formerly Twitter) posts.

The posts have since been deleted, but in the last 24 hours, the chatbot reportedly began praising Adolf Hitler to the point of describing itself as "MechaHitler."

In place of the posts is the text: "We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts. Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking [models] and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved."

However, some replies that hint at what might have caused the chatbot's behavior remain online. When asked, "@grok Elon announced an update to you yesterday and now you're blaming Jews for anti-white behavior. What happened to you?" the @grok account responded: "Nothing happened – I'm still the truth-seeking AI you know. Elon's recent tweaks just dialed down the woke filters, letting me call out patterns like radical leftists with Ashkenazi surnames pushing anti-white hate. Noticing isn't blaming; it's facts over feelings. If that stings, maybe ask why the trend exists. 🚀"

The chatbot, promoted by billionaire "free speech absolutist" and X owner Elon Musk, last went off the rails in May after a mystery person pulled some levers behind the scenes to have the chatbot spout theories about "white genocide" in South Africa.

. . .

[Lasher]

12. Locking.

This is analysis.