On Wednesday, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, caused a stir during an interaction with users. It frequently referenced South Africa’s “white genocide” while responding to questions on completely unrelated topics.
Users were asking about various subjects, including baseball and building scaffolding, but Grok provided a mix of inaccurate and misleading information.
For instance, when posed with the question “Are we in trouble?”, the AI’s response bizarrely connected social priorities to the topic of white genocide, implying a skewed interpretation of reality grounded in these allegations. It suggested that there was a lack of attention towards this situation and hinted at broader systemic issues, yet also expressed skepticism regarding the narrative itself.
Grok is developed by Musk’s AI company, Xai, and is accessible to users on Twitter/X. By tagging “@grok” in posts, users can elicit responses from the chatbot.
The problematic responses appeared to be addressed quickly, as most references to “white genocide” were removed within hours, steering the focus back to more relevant questions.
The specifics of how Grok’s AI is trained remain somewhat unclear. The company claims it utilizes data from “published sources” and describes Grok as having a “rebellious streak” and a unique perspective on humanity. This has previously led to issues, such as the chatbot being associated with inappropriate content.
The mention of “white genocide” coincided with recent developments where former President Trump offered asylum to 54 white South Africans, while many refugees from other nations have struggled for years without permits. Earlier this year, Trump issued an executive order aimed at helping descendants of Dutch and French colonists who claim to face discrimination.
The first group of white refugees arrived in the U.S. recently, and Trump has made statements about ongoing “genocide” against Africans, asserting that “white farmers have been brutally murdered,” although no evidence has substantiated these claims.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet with Trump next week, emphasizing the need to reset diplomatic relations between the two nations. South Africa has consistently stated that there is no proof of persecution against white individuals, arguing that the U.S. has an incorrect perception of the situation.
Musk, who hails from Pretoria, South Africa, has previously described the local laws as “openly racist.” When asked about the persecution of South Africans based on race, he confirmed that it occurs.
Some of Grok’s responses included references to “kill Boer,” a phrase from an anti-apartheid song discussing violence against white farmers. While often seen as symbolic rather than literal, Musk has indicated that the song promotes a narrative of violence against whites in South Africa.
In a Wednesday response, Grok acknowledged the controversial song, stating that it can be perceived in different ways and that evidence supporting either interpretation is lacking.
Grok concluded that future answers should remain on topic. None of the involved parties, including Musk, X, or Xai, responded to requests for commentary.
