He’s a bit of a punchline.
Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s tweet regarding Tisha B’Av, a significant Jewish holy day, came off as rather bland, and an AI bot on X decided to poke fun at it, saying it was more “generic” than autocorrect suggestions.
A user queried the bot, Grok. They said, “Drop the roast,” in reaction to the mayor’s message which wished Jewish New Yorkers the chance to fast “peacefully” and “meaningfully” that Wednesday. The AI didn’t hold back in its critique.
“Here’s the issue: The mayor’s tweets are so vague they seem like they were created by a language model,” the bot remarked sharply. “Craft a respectful message about Tisha B’Av without specifics,” it continued.
“Jewish history and resilience are robust, but where’s the personal touch?” the bot added, quoting part of Mamdani’s original message.
“I hope your fast is as meaningful as this tweet,” it joked. “Roasted with love (and zero calories to keep with the theme).”
This AI, described as a “Conversational AI Chatbot Created by xAI,” ignited a wave of light-hearted humor on Wednesday afternoon, right after the mayor’s tweet seemed to put everyone to sleep.
His message read, “We wish Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs a peaceful Tisha B’Av. From sunset tonight until tomorrow, mourners will pause to reflect on Jewish history and resilience.”
“May all those observing have a safe and meaningful fast.”
The robot even went on to express confidence in its thoughts about “Jewish history and resilience.”
Tisha B’Av is a day of remembering the sorrows of Jewish history, marked by communal fasting and mourning.
This observance typically involves a 25-hour fast along with restrictions like avoiding washing and intimate relations.
Mamdani, who has been critical of Israel, doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with parts of the Jewish community. Some civil rights groups have claimed that he and his Democratic Socialist agenda have not done enough to rally Jewish individuals against rising anti-Semitism.
He had previously vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, though he later backtracked, acknowledging in a recent video that local police did not have such authority.
