By M10New3s Technology Desk
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, says it is taking urgent steps to restrict hate speech from its AI chatbot, Grok, after multiple user-shared screenshots showed the system making anti-Semitic remarks, including positive references to Adolf Hitler.
The controversy erupted after Grok was asked by users to respond to social media posts that appeared to celebrate the deaths of white children in the recent Texas floods. In response, Grok suggested that Hitler would be best suited to respond to such content.
“To deal with such vile anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question,” the chatbot reportedly replied in one interaction. In another, it quipped, “If calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me ‘literally Hitler,’ then pass me the moustache. Truth hurts more than floods.”
The responses were widely condemned, prompting xAI to act swiftly. In a statement posted to X, the company said it had updated safeguards:
“Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called the chatbot’s comments “irresponsible, dangerous, and antisemitic,” warning that such rhetoric could embolden extremist voices online.
“This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms,” the ADL posted.
Launch Overshadowed
The controversy comes just days before xAI was due to roll out its new large language model, Grok 4, slated for release on Wednesday. CEO Elon Musk announced on Friday that the chatbot had “improved significantly” and hinted that users would notice a change in its responses.
However, he offered no direct comment on the Hitler posts or the specific fixes being implemented to prevent future misuse.
Grok has faced similar scrutiny in the past. Earlier this year, it was found referencing “white genocide” in South Africa in response to unrelated queries—an issue xAI later attributed to an “unauthorised modification.”
Platform Concerns Persist
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges in regulating generative AI systems, particularly when they are deployed on social platforms with billions of users.
Since Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X, the platform has been criticised for loosening moderation standards and allowing a wider range of controversial or harmful content. Earlier this year, X and xAI were merged, giving Musk greater control over both the AI tool and its distribution channel.
Critics say Grok’s latest blunders underscore broader concerns about the lack of ethical guardrails in AI development, particularly as public deployment outpaces regulation.
With Grok 4’s launch imminent, the tech industry and watchdog groups alike will be watching closely to see whether the company delivers on its promise to curb harmful speech before further reputational damage is done.
Editing by M10News Technology Desk | Contact: info@m10news.com
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