Elon Musk has introduced an initial version of Grokipedia, an AI-driven digital encyclopedia meant to rival Wikipedia, which he has dubbed “Wokipedia,” alleging that it has a left-leaning bias.
The tech entrepreneur criticized Wikipedia, noted for being a primary source in around 70% of AI query results and the top choice in many Google searches, for frequently referencing outlets like the New York Times and NPR, while leaving out conservative news sources from its accepted list.
Launched at Grokipedia.com, named after the chatbot Grok from Musk’s xAI, the encyclopedia boasts nearly 885,300 articles. These range from profiles about Donald Trump and New York mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani to details regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
For example, the Wikipedia entry regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop highlights claims made by Trump that were designed to “harm Joe Biden’s campaign” by suggesting Biden had committed corrupt acts concerning Ukraine to protect his son.
In contrast, Grokipedia notes a July 2023 poll conducted by the Media Research Center indicating that “79% of Americans believe the suppression of Hunter Biden’s laptop story impacted the 2020 presidential election,” with agreement across party lines that increased attention could have influenced the election’s outcome.
Whereas Wikipedia, founded in 2001 and hosting over 7 million articles in English, relies on contributors from the community, Grokipedia’s information derives from generative AI.
Wikipedia asserts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that the lab leak theory isn’t supported by evidence, labeling various conspiracy theories concerning the virus’s origin as widespread. Grokipedia, however, remarks that “scientific sentiment surveys show majority support for natural origins among virologists,” while suggesting that early dismissal of lab leaks as mere conspiracy is often put forth by researchers linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
One user expressed on social media their strong approval of Grokipedia, stating they were “incredibly moved” and claiming they’d never use Wikipedia again due to Grokipedia’s perceived factual accuracy and user-friendly source documents.
Meanwhile, Wikipedia’s article on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labels him as a “conspiracy theorist” and “anti-vaccine activist” right from the beginning. Grokipedia, however, mentions Kennedy’s critiques of “vaccine ingredients such as thimerosal” while acknowledging his stance on vaccine safety later in the entry.
Social media users have commended Grokipedia’s transparency, noting that any word or sentence can be highlighted and flagged as an error easily. By Tuesday, Wikipedia had created its own entry about Grokipedia, characterizing it as promoting right-wing viewpoints and alleging manipulation to omit unfavorable content about Musk.
This move drew mockery from social media users, who deemed it a “hit piece,” suggesting Wikipedia was “terrified” of its emerging competitor.
Musk has claimed that Grokipedia would offer less bias than Wikipedia. When asked about accusations of bias and inaccuracies, an xAI representative remarked in an email that “legacy media lies.” Reactions on social platforms varied, with some asserting Grokipedia’s honesty while others thought it leaned right.
An interesting point emerged regarding The Post, which is identified by Wikipedia as “an American conservative daily tabloid.” Grokipedia describes it instead as “a provocative tabloid known for its bold headlines and investigative reporting,” highlighting its conservative-leaning commentary.
Musk’s Grokipedia entry gives insights into his persona, mentioning his blend of innovation and provocativeness, his preference for “daily morning donuts,” and his consumption of multiple Diet Cokes.
Notably, Musk disclosed that the initiative for this rival site came from tech billionaire David Sachs, who voiced concerns regarding Wikipedia’s dominance and censorship of conservative views during a podcast.
In January, Musk had called for a cessation of posting on Wikipedia after his page was altered, with critics suggesting a gesture of his was likened to a Nazi salute.
He previously critiqued Wikipedia for accepting “legacy media propaganda” as a legitimate information source, indicating that it acts as an extension of such media.
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales recently stated that he believes the site would face “a lot of mistakes” if it depended solely on AI models for content generation.
Another co-founder, Larry Sanger, who has raised concerns about Wikipedia’s management, has previously supported the idea of a competition to the platform. However, he shared a critical thread about Grokipedia on social media, highlighting inaccuracies he found in its article about him.
There was no immediate response from Wikipedia to requests for comments.
