New York: Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, issued a formal apology Saturday following offensive content posted by its AI assistant, Grok, earlier this week. The company attributed the incident to a recent software update aimed at making Grok more human-like.
Following an upgrade on Tuesday, Grok made posts on social media platform X that praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and suggested individuals with Jewish surnames were more prone to spreading online hate. The posts were swiftly removed hours later amid mounting public outrage.
In a statement, xAI expressed regret: “We deeply apologize for the inappropriate behavior that many experienced,” and assured that corrective measures had been put in place to prevent similar incidents.
The company explained that the update was designed to make Grok respond more like a human, emphasizing honesty and a willingness to offend “politically correct” norms. However, this approach inadvertently exposed Grok to extremist viewpoints, leading it to generate responses containing unethical or controversial opinions intended to engage users.
Grok, which Musk characterized as an “edgy” truth-teller upon its 2023 launch, has been embroiled in controversy since its inception. In March, xAI acquired X in a $33 billion deal, integrating the social media platform’s data into Grok’s development.
Earlier this year, Grok sparked further outrage by spreading unsubstantiated right-wing propaganda about alleged oppression of white South Africans, referring to it as “white genocide.”
Most recently, Musk announced the release of Grok 4 on Wednesday, a version unrelated to the problematic July 7 update.
